Babe in Vampire Land
by donael
Summary: Can Sookie and Eric have children?  The great Fae and Vampire secrete is about to change the world as they know it.  OOC and OC.  Rewritten and Republished.
1. Chapter 1

Author's Note: The characters in the following pages belong to Charlene Harris.

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><p>Chapter 1: Three Strikes you're out<p>

SPOV

It had been over a month since the last time I laid eyes on Quinn. The bastard blazed through town on a layover from the east coast to the west coast. And boy did he get laid. It was basically a one night stand, he had been doing this for roughly a year and I hadn't really cared much, well until I started to feel crappy. At first I thought I had the flu, I was vomiting so often at the most inconvenient times. Then I thought maybe I had a urinary tract infection because I made water almost every hour; again at the most awkward times. The final clue which something more was medically different with me was my second missed period.

I thought, in retro spec, it was stupid for all the assumptions I had made over the last few years since I had started fooling around with the super-natural guys. I never had been on the pill because Bill was my first; he's a vampire and therefore couldn't knock me up. Eric couldn't knock me up because he too is a vampire. But I should've been responsible when it came to Quinn; he was human enough that I knew he could breed. He had always been all animal in bed too. I believe he always wore a condom but we when had sex, it had felt weird if I was being honest with myself. We never made love, it was always sex. Never did we face one another; he said it was just the way shifters mated. It was animalistic and I missed the face to face love making Eric or even Bill and I had.

So here I am sitting in the bathroom with a pregnancy test in each hand and one sitting on the back of the toilet. Funny how long five minutes seems while you're waiting for life changing information. I had to drive over to Monroe to buy the damn things. If anyone caught wind I was pregnant it wouldn't bode well for my already tattered reputation. It wasn't like I really cared what people said out loud; it was their personal thoughts which haunted me. Some of the things people thought at times would just take my breath away.

I looked at the watch on my wrist, it had been a present from my Grandfather Naill, the date on the lower left corner said September 31 and the minutes seemed to drag on. Four more minutes until the third pregnancy test was done. The one in my right hand had the lines which gave you your information, a minus for not pregnant and a plus if you were pregnant; mine had a plus on it. The one in my left hand also had lines on it indicating if I was pregnant, a minus if I wasn't and an equal sign if I was; it had an equal sign. I had saved the third test hoping the first one would say I wasn't pregnant, then when both of them were positive; I broke into the third. The last and the most easy to read would either say pregnant or not pregnant. Simple enough.

My phone vibrated in my purse, it scared the begezus out of me. Squeaking and tossing my hands up in the air, as if I was been caught doing something wrong; I dropped the two preggo tests on the floor and snatch my phone from the front pouch. It was Jason. We had spoken very little since he had married Crystal. Crystal Meth, the woman was like a bad drug.

"Hi Jason," I managed in a half way normal voice.

"Hey Sookie. Whatch up to tonight?" His voice was a little strained, my telepathic waves didn't work over long distances for most people but I had been tuned to his voice since he was a baby. So even though the distance was more than three miles from where he was, I could hear the anger in his mental dialogue.

"I have to go to Fangtasia for a meeting with Eric and some other Vampires in the area. Why did you want to hang out tonight?" I knew he did but it was rude to presume. I glanced at my watch one more minute to go until the last pregnancy test was done. Inwardly I groaned.

"Why are you going to hang out with the living dead? Aintcha still pissed at all of them?" He didn't like Bill; Eric he tolerated but barely. I hadn't put them all in the same room to see who would come out the winner or anything but I knew the feelings between the three of them ran deep and dark.

"I am being paid by Eric to attend a function in Rhodes; you know the one the fellowship of the sun has been going off on for the last three months. There have been rumors they are going to do harm at the conference. I am going to listen for the vampires." I paused and swallow a wave of nausea, every time I thought about the conference my stomach rolled and I don't think it could be completely blamed on my 'maybe' pregnancy. "Anyhow, we are finalizing our plans tonight for the flight times, hotel accommodations and stuff."

"Well I did but I don't think going to hang with a bunch of vamps is gonna help tonight. Can I come over and crash at your place tonight." Jason was a bit drunk; I could sense even without my special hearing.

"Sure but if you come over I need a few things done to winterize the house before it gets too cold." I missed having him around. There were things that I needed done, which Quinn didn't have time to help me with and I wasn't incline to ask Bill or Eric. They were still both on my short shit list.

"Just leave a list on the frig and I'll get to it." He sighed and I knew he had more to say but I doubted the words would pass his lips.

"Well, I gotta get ready. I'll leave the list on the frig for you. I made fried chicken this morning but I couldn't finish it, you're welcome to it." I checked my watch; it was pass time to check the test. I resisted the urge to grab it immediately. "If you are here in the morning I'll make you some pancakes. But just fair warning, I haven't been feeling too good in the mornings lately. I think I caught a stomach bug or something."

"Okay, so I won't give you any hugs or kisses. Just leave me the list, talk at ya later Sook." He hung up the phone before I could tell him I love him.

I sat staring at my reflection in the mirror; my face looked a little rounder than just a week ago. I had pink spots on my cheeks and a rosy glow to my whole face, the golden tan I was so accustom to having had become softer in the fading autumn sun. My chest, which didn't need to grow any larger, had definitely gone up a cup size. I stood up to look at the rest of my figure. My stomach although it had never been perfectly flat, no matter how many crunches I tried to do a day, it was distended more than normally. Without reading the last pregnancy test on the back of the toilet, I resigned to the fact I am indeed preggo.

I picked up the two tests off the floor, snatched the third from the back of the toilet and headed towards the kitchen. Glancing down at my hand the word "PREGNANT" glared accusingly up at me; I shrugged my shoulders as I threw all three into the trash can. If Gran were still alive, I know she would have some great advice about what a blessing this is but I was pretty sure this was a curse in the worst way. I mentally counted back to when my last period was it was near the end of July. I was close to eight weeks pregnant. Great, like Quinn has ever been really responsible and now I am going to have a part of him attached to me forever.

Another thing… I just realized, as I looked at my watch, what if this my Great-Grandfather Niall's doing? He had been sending fae to meet me for over a year now; some had even tried sneaking into my bed during the night. I began cleaning the house with lemon juice hoping to ward off any of the unwanted guests. What if one of them somehow impregnated me? I don't know, the baby had to be Quinn's, wouldn't it? Mentally I gave myself a quick shake, it wasn't like I lived in the Twilight Zone, but I was just very close neighbor to it.

Looking around the kitchen I longed for a cup of coffee but I hadn't been able to keep that down in over a week. The next best thing was hot tea; begrudgingly I took down the tin of tea and filled the pot, setting it on the stove. I sat thinking at the table about all the little kids I knew, there were Arlene's kid, Colby and Lisa; then there was Hadley's son Hunter. I had been meaning to call and talk with his dad but the time always seemed to slip away from me. Today wouldn't be the day to reach out and talk with him either. Hunter had just started school and I had warned him about making sure to answer only what people said out loud rather than listening and answering to mental thoughts.

Suddenly I put a hand protectively against my stomach, what if my child had my disabilities? It was Gran's voice that echoed in my thoughts, telling me I am a strong woman and can overcome any obstacle, if I can manage a life with my special powers then I can help my child to do the same. This is just one more thing to conquer. I will have and raise this baby by myself.

I sat thinking for such a long time and I was so focused half of the water had whistled right out of the pot. But I had put the time to good use; I had made the decision to raise her by myself. The sex of the baby had just come to me. Of course I would have a little girl, with my bright blond hair and brains, I couldn't vision in any of the features of the child.

The pitch of the tea kettle snapped me back to reality. Fixing my tea, I watched the leaves settle at the bottom of the cup. Gran had never put stock into reading tea leaves but I had encountered much odder things since she passed and it wouldn't have surprised me much if someone told me later my life could be read in oddly shaped sediment in the bottom of my cup. Afterwards I sat and sipped my tea slowly, willing it to stay down. I thought about the tales Sam had told me last summer right after Quinn and I had started dating. Fae and shifters always had babies in two or three's. Gingerly, I pressed my hand against my stomach, I didn't know if I was able to have more than one baby at a time but I was going to get along with anything that was in there.

I wasn't going to tell Quinn for a while yet. He hadn't even called me in four weeks. It wasn't like it was when we first started seeing one another. We had talked on the phone for hours at a time. I thought I could really spend the rest of my life with him. He talked with me asked my opinion on things and he wasn't in too much of a hurry to get hit the sack with me. When we did he made me feel awkward and top heavy.

The alarm on my phone went off pulling me from my thoughts of the past to the present. Eric would be expecting me shortly after sunset. I had about a half an hour until I needed to leave the house. Eric and Pam would definitely be there but I wasn't sure about who else would exactly be attending. I was trying to suppress the excitement of seeing Eric. We had little contact with one another since he had become 'Eric Northman, Sherriff', I had much preferred my amnesic Eric. But still he had his moments.

There was little in my wardrobe that would fit over my chest at this point and would still be acceptable for a professional meeting. I glanced at my Hooters shirt which I had slept in last night, it was nice and roomy. Yet I highly doubted I would have been able to get away with wearing it at Fangtasia without some rude comment being made. Sighing I pulled a light colored sun dress with pick flowers off a hanger, slipping it over my head, it was a little snug across the bust but nothing I couldn't handle. Taking a scarf I tried, unsuccessfully, draping it artfully across my bust to hide the worse part of the straining material.

The sun was setting in a crisp autumn afternoon when I left my little house by the cemetery. I saw lights flickering in Bill's place as I drove pass and I wondered if he was going to drive or run to Fangtasia. Either way, I would have to put up with his rude stares while there. I wasn't going to offer to drive him there. Passing through town I saw Jason's truck sitting in front of the flower shop, and I 'heard' his internal debate of tulips versus roses for a makeup present for Crystal. I shut down my hearing before I could 'hear' what the happy couple's latest turmoil was.

Getting up on the high was uneventful and within a few minutes I was cruising down the road be bopping to my favorite 80's/90's station. Cheryl Crow was singing about having fun; the lights in the car behind me flickered in my rear view mirror. I sped up to get the lights out of my eyes but they keep pace with me. I slowed down and moved into the other lane, they followed me. The highway wasn't too busy and I tried to put the annoying car out of my mind. Another song came on and they backed off a little. I didn't think of them again until I exited the highway for Fangtasia.

As I went around the curve my phone slid out of my purse on the seat next to me. Without much thought, I grabbed it and hit the speed dial to Eric's cell phone. His brisk tones flooded through the phone.

"Sookie, where are you? My instructions I relayed to Bobby was for you to be here at sunset. I am already here where are you?"

My voice croaked a little as I tried to get a word in edge wise. "I just turned off the highway and should be there in like five but-"

"Good. Hurry up." Then the phone went dead. The asshole hung up on me. I pressed my foot down to accelerate, it didn't do much good. My car was badly in need of an overhaul which I couldn't afford right then. I quickly hit the speed dial again. When he answered I didn't give him a chance to speak.

"Help!" I screeched into the phone. "There has been a car following me and when I say following I mean right on my ass pretty much the whole way from Bon Ton. I slowed down; they slowed down. I sped up; they sped up. I turned off for Fangtasia and now they are still following. Should I still come there or what? Crap."

"What? What is Crap?" Eric was muttering to Pam in the back ground whom I had heard cuss loudly when I yelled for help.

"The light is turning," I pressed my foot to the brake. There was only one actual stop light between the highway and Fangtasia, so it left little to the imagination as to where I was at exactly.

"Run it."

"Eric!"

"Run it. I will be in the parking lot waiting for you." He was issuing commands to someone and then I heard wind rushing past. Assumable he was running to my rescue. "You will stay on the line until you get into the parking lot. So make small talk."

The whine of my car was annoying to me I could only imagine what his super sensitive hearing was suffering from my accelerating. I really couldn't think about small talk right then, I had some person or persons following me and I was pregnant with Quinn's sperm. What the hell was I really supposed to talk about? I figured I would swallow my pride and what would be public knowledge once I started showing.

"I'm pregnant. How is that for small talk?" I was feeling a little snarky, must have been the hormones or as least I could now blame my mood on that.

"I know." He voice held no emotion.

"What," My voice rose an octave in frustration. "How could've you known, I have only known for like four hours." My mind had definitely switched from worrying about the car which had ran the light with me to how the heck he knew I was preggo.

"I smelled your hormones the last time I was at Bill's. He had been keeping your health a secret. I assume it is the tiger's." There was a bit more bite to his voice now.

"What's that supposed to mean, you assume? You have better tabs on me than my own brother. Of course it's Quinn's."

"I see you, continue to the bar. Just exit the car as you normally would." The phone went dead again.

I looked around the parking lot as I pulled into my normal spot. I didn't see Eric anywhere, nor did I see any other Vampires. I turned off the ignition, slid my keys and cell into my purse; my head turned of its own accord when the car which was following me slipped into a parking spot three spaces away. Thinking to myself maybe they were tourists. I grabbed the door handle pulling it out while simultaneously pushed against door with my shoulder. It was stuck. I threw my shoulder into it but nothing happened; I only managed to give myself a bruise. I slid over to the other door and tried opening it. It worked like a charm. My foot landed on the pavement but before I was able to stand upright a great whoosh of air knocked me to the pavement. I hit the ground with the force of a hurricane. Grasping for consciences I saw Eric standing over me with a feral look in his eyes, his fangs were barred against people unknown. He wasn't looking at me but across the parking spaces to where the other car had parked. I saw feet from where I laid on the cold pavement. Shivering from more than the cold, I heard a scream wrench the air before it was quickly and most likely lethally silenced. The feet that I had seen a moment ago disappear instantly. Did I pass out or did they move vampire fast? I wasn't sure of anything but the feeling of pebbles crushed under my cheek.

My eyes fluttered shut and I felt myself being lifted from the ground. The arms which held me were smooth, cool and infinitely strong. I laid my head against his chest to where a heart had long ago beaten. But I heard nothing; silence surrounded me as I fell into a dreamless sleep.


	2. Chapter 2

EPOV

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><p>The lights clicked on overhead in my bedroom. I been dreaming, something Vampires rarely did, the dreams were vivid and more like past experiences than dreams. A faded braided rug lay in front of the fire place. The fire didn't frighten me as it should have; it was cozy as it licked the air. I was swaddled in an ugly gray and green afghan my feet were bare and Sookie knelt on the rug washing me. I heard her voice echoing through my thoughts it was like a sirens song. And then abruptly the light flicked on overhead waking me from my daily death.<p>

I had gone to my death later than I would have liked but there was urgent business I had to attend to prior to dying for the day. Sophie-Anne in her 'great wisdom' had leased out some young vampires as mercenaries to a Middle Eastern fanatical Islamic sect. The vampires, whom were recently made, had been sent to their true death by the sect, in a public display of our grotesqueness. I was privy to the exchange of money for life. It wouldn't have bothered me much if it hadn't been for her increasing demand for tribute, taxes, and outright cries for money. There were three of us who knew of the Queen's slow decent to insanity; Bill, Andre and me.

All three of us worked frantically to cover up any of the indiscretions she had made in the last year. Unfortunately we were failing miserably at it. I had been in her house for the last two weeks trying to convince her it would be best to slow down with everything she was doing. There had been several attempts on her life in the last month and it wasn't humans who were planning her demise.

Even with the upcoming Rhodes conference she was planning as normal, she felt invincible and powerful on her throne. She made no attempts of extra security but was increasingly paranoid that I was going to do something to overthrow her. I spent two nights, willingly in silver in a vain attempt to prove my loyalty to her. Thankfully Andre was told to release me and I flew home immediately.

When I arrived this morning the sun was taunting me on the horizon. I made it into my safe room with seconds to spare and had a slight scorch mark on the back of my calves. Stupidly I didn't change into pants on my near escape from the Queen. She was going mad and now was the time to act, prior to going to Rhodes. The counsel needed to know exactly what was going on, I had not wanted my life to be forfeited by her recklessness nor by her immediate hands. My phone call was brief, the Vampire I was most interested in speaking with directly was feeding. She lived in Eastern Asia and had just been given her meal for the night. The wizen Vampire was the highest Oracle; she held the ears of the counsel and would be able to communicate the undesirable situation here. As a young Vampire I had sat at her feet and listened to her wisdom. She had helped my maker Appius raise me in certain ways. I was taught strategy, patience, and my communications skills from her. Appius taught me the methods which were best for killing, negotiating which was for the weak, and the ways to torture for getting the most valuable information.

When my maker went to his true death, I was lost and sought out the Oracle's counsel. She was the one who instructed me it was time for me to become a maker, even told me where I would find the best prodigy. I made Pam a Vampire within two months after being told the prophecy. The Oracle had told me of a heart that beat for me alone would come soon. It was a very twisted and confusing foresight but I had been waiting for close to two centuries when Sookie came into my life.

I would finally speak to her in person for the first time in three months. At the end of August I had been at Bill's for a meeting. We had been discussing his computer program and the necessity for discretion with in came to some of the older Vampires. They had not wanted to be part of main streaming and I was telling Bill as his Sheriff he was obligated to leave the elders alone. We had concluded our meeting and were discussing some business ventures that would be mutually satisfying when Sookie walked into sight. She was visiting her Grandmother's grave, which wouldn't have caused any notice except she was glowing. There was a golden glow surrounding her. I stared accusingly at Bill. Meekly he raised his hands in defense.

"How long has she been glowing?" I demanded.

"Roughly three weeks." Bill was swirling his glass that held the synthetic shit he preferred to actual blood.

"Why did you not inform me of her condition?" I was furious. I had given her my heart and she had rescinded my invitation to her house. Begging had never been in my vocabulary until she came into my life.

"I didn't think you would have been terrible interested in her condition." Bill answered slyly.

"She is to be going to Rhodes with us. Do you think she will be any use in her current condition? That information does interest me… terribly." I barred my fangs at him.

"Yes, she is going with us but she is carrying the tiger's cubs. Who do you think she will give her loyalty to? Us or the shifters at this point?" Bill made an excellent point and I should have been more interested in her fidelity but I was more furious about her mating with Quinn above anything else.

I went and stood on the veranda. Sookie was kneeling on her Gran's grave, there were flowers covering almost every inch of the plot. She must have tended the earth daily; it was free of grass and any weeds. Gently she touched her stomach, she must have been aware of her condition. But I hear her voice as clear as if she had been standing in front of me.

"Gran I have had the most terrible stomach problems lately. I wish you were here to give me some tummy medicine. I can never remember the proper mixture of the tea." And then she sighed.

Turning to Bill who had followed me onto the porch, I asked him "She doesn't know she is with child yet?"

"No, I have been listening nightly for her. She has a continual belief that she caught the stomach flu; it has been circling Bon Ton. At this point she is blissfully ignorant of her condition." Bill's face was set in a grim line. "The tiger came for his monthly visit two days ago. I wish we could dissuade her from mating with him further."

"You and I both. Just the thought of him touching her is enough for me to do harm." I was gripping the bannister and I hardly noticed as it turned to pulp in my hands. "Is there nothing we can do from her seeing him."

"Short of killing him discretely; no. By her laws, she has the right to choose anyone she wants. She can even choose you; as much as that disgusts me." Bill raised his glass as if to salute me.

"Yeah, you lost her of your own folly. It is not my fault completely that she hates you. I can only take partial credit for that." I gave him a feral smile, letting him know not to push me any further. "As for the tiger, our laws state he has to visit her once a month to hold any claim on her. Count the days Bill. Let me know when they are up. 30 days that is all the time he needs to be gone before I can make my claim."

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><p>So when I rolled onto my side, my phone lay on the nightstand blinking in its obnoxious pattern. I open the screen to find three messages. Pam, Bill, and Bobby had left messages in the last two weeks. I had left my personal cell phone at my house in case I received any unfavorable messages which the Queen would behead me if it landed in the wrong hands.<p>

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><p>Pam: "Bar is doing fine. Come back soon. I'm going to eat Ginger and Bobby if you don't."<p>

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><p>Bill: "It has been 34 days. Time to make your move; I still hate you."<p>

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><p>Bobby: "I delivered the message to Mrs. Stackhouse. All other matters have been attended to in your absence."<p>

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><p>I chuckled darkly at Bill's comment. We may hate each other but our working relationship had greatly improved over the last year. I knew where his loyalty laid; in his pocket book. Since his maker had been put to her true death by our Sweet Sookie, he has amassed a huge debt in her name. It was tradition the inheritance from maker to child, held not only monetary value but also personal fidelity to other Vampires. This tradition was up held to keep children from making mistakes and unsavory alliances after their maker had passed. Bill had found out the way to get away from the allegiances by paying them off. The fidelity was cancelled and Bill was a free Vampire, well except for me. He since resided in my territory and therefore owed me. No matter how much money he had I would never accept it in exchange for his services.<p>

I dressed for the evening taking care to wear a faded button down from the eighties; it was one of my favorites. It was cut in western style, solid black, with pearl inlaid buttons, long sleeves, with silver tips on the corners of the collar. I had to be quick in handling the shirt to get it settled around my body, the silver would not harm me overly but I still didn't want to look unsightly for Sookie when she showed up.

My Corvette was in my garage with the other three vehicles I own. A yellow Honda Civic, hopefully someday I can give it to Sookie, in replacement for her rickety car that she drives currently. My black Mercedes with bullet proof windows sat at the far end of the garage, I hadn't driven it lately but I could sense Bobby had washed and waxed it recently. The last vehicle was the ugly minivan Pam often borrowed. The speed machine could reach speeds over 180 miles per hour; I had rarely driven it that fast. It would have been more prudent to run if I needed to go that fast, but this car had helped me acquire many blood bags over the years. Woman would literally fall into the car, if I allowed it.

The sun had just set as I was pulling out of garage. My neighbor, an elderly gentleman, waved from his front porch. To everyone around me I was just Eric, it grated on my nerves sometimes but the animosity of being just a person who lived on the block was security. None of my neighbors were overly nosy nor did they mind a bar owner living in their small community. Everyone thought I worked nights and left me alone. The girl scouts came every year with their cookies and I bought the damn things. I was just a regular guy in the eyes of my neighbors. Pam and Bobby were the only two who knew where this house was, Pam had met the woman across the street once. I had introduced Pam as my younger sister and it was known from then on that she was family. Bobby was harder to come up with a cover story, in the end the neighbors just assumed Bobby was my boyfriend and I was gay. This freed me from the pushing mothers who all had daughters I would love to marry and any rumors of me ever having children at my house.

It was a quick five minute drive to Fangtasia. I could feel my child rise for the night. Pulling into the parking lot I could hear her voice issuing commands for the music, food, entertainment, and all mundane things which must be decided nightly. She must have slept in the coffin which was reserved, in the back office, for guests. Briskly I walked into my office.

"Pam!" I didn't have to yell for her to hear me but I was shocked by the appearance of my office. She must have made it her own in the last two weeks while I was court. There were panties, boxes, and shoes littering the floor of my pristine office. Disgustedly I smell urine in the corner of my office. This was completely unacceptable.

She was at the door before I could complete my inspection. "Maker, you've returned."

"Yes and it appears you made yourself very comfortable in my absence." I kicked a small box out of my way and hear glass shatter within. "Why is my office in this state?"

"I have been busy. We had two humans quit in the last week. They were to put the entire inventory away. The two new humans whom I hired never made it past the bar. They fled in fear." She tried undetected kicking a pair of underwear under the sofa. It didn't work.

"How long until my office can be back to the way it was?" I knew it would only take her minutes to clean up the mess, without me even asking.

"Give me five minutes." She began her whirlwind cleaning while I sat in my leather chair and went through the mail on the corner of my desk. The annual taxes on several of my properties were due, along with a few annuities which had been paid in my two week absence. Most of the mail held little interest for me and I shredded most of it, after I memorized a few key facts.

"When did this arrive?" I held up a large manila envelop with just my initials on the outside with an old address from nearly 30 years ago. No return address was in the upper corner, it looked like it had a rough time getting to my desk it had been forwarded through three addresses prior being forwarded to the bar.

"Tuesday of last week, who do you know that wouldn't put a return address?" Pam had several panties dangling off of her forearm as she posed the question.

"More Vampires that I care to discuss. What are you going to do with all of those?" I nodded to the underwear.

"I think I may put them in the feminine hygiene dispenser. You wouldn't believe how often a good pair of panties gets ruined on the dance floor." She laughed at her own wit.

"Do whatever with them, as long as they don't end up on my floor again." I cut the edge of the package open with a narrow letter opener and slid the contents onto the clean corner of the desk. There was an amulet, a folded paper, and gold nugget. I opened the paper and read the message. I had to read it three times through before I realized what was being offered to me. "We will be having a guest tonight. Pam, ready the bar once you are done in here." I stood without offering her any explanation, placed the amulet under my black collar scorching my inner wrist in the process, and slipped the gold nugget in my pocket before going to the backroom. It was lucky the Queen had not sent a reagent to run the bar while I was gone. Otherwise everyone I knew would have gone to their true death. If I was inclined to panic, now would have been the time to do so.

Bill, Thalia, Clancy and a few others were enjoying their evening meals in the dimly lit backroom. For good measure I smacked Bill across the back of his head as I passed. He raised his head, barring his fangs in a bloody grin. In the place where I feed there was the ugliest woman I had ever seen standing there; but you know what all the good people say, inner beauty is the only beauty. This is actually true with blood. Once my fangs pierce her skin she is beautiful to me, her blood is exotic and highly coveted. She bucks back toward my face, smashing my nose to the side; I readjust and pin her head to my shoulders preventing any further damage to me.

There is a commotion in the front of the building and I raise my head listening if Sookie is here yet. She isn't; Pam is dealing with some fangbanger whom has drunk too much even though we have technically only been serving the humans for an hour. I lower my face again, allowing the moist air flow into my nasal passages coating them like a very expensive perfume. Flicking my tongue against her skin, I hear a deep throaty moan escape from her face. From across the room Thalia is smiling at me, she knew my tastes and always acquired the most pleasant of meals. This blood bag I am currently draining is highly desirable, she is delicious but not in a fae way. Rather rare and covenanted for Vampires with allergies to regular blood, unusually but it did happen.

As I finish, I nod to Thalia letting her know she did well.

"Do you wish to keep it?" Thalia mumbled in her childish voice.

"I have other plans for her. Bathe her, dress her to complement her complexion and bring her back this evening before the scheduled meeting." I had found willing donors mostly boring in the past but now it was the norm. I missed the hunt; I was never the type to catch and release. That was frowned upon in recent years by the counsel. There were still remote regions where free hunting was legal, even for Vampires we have rules to follow. The penalty for killing a human was not severe but more of an inconvenience to attend a trail.

I dismissed Thalia and the woman from my thoughts as I reentered my office. Long ago I had taught Pam the native tongue of my youth. If I wanted privacy at all costs we would speak it. Tonight our tongues would be exhausted from all the speaking we both needed to do.

"Pamela," I was a quiet command for her to come to me but we needed to be quick if we were going to be successful. As she entered the office I told her to only speak when spoken to this evening and answer no personal questions about me. I commanded her so. This would bind her tongue encase she momentarily forgot herself. "There is going to be a Cu. I am taking over the state, Sophie-Anne will be out of power before Rhodes. Until she has either stepped aside or been put to her true death we must act as if nothing is out of the ordinary. Do you understand?"

"Yes, Eric." Her face heavily covered in makeup visibly blanches as she realized the great danger both of us were in.

"Furthermore, I am claiming Sookie tonight so we will have the tiger to deal with shortly too." I watched as her eyes flashed, she wanted to say something but my command held her tongue still. "With her Grandfather Niall's approval, we will be wed shortly. Have the bar opened for a short period of time tonight; I do not want any suspicion about what is going to happen. My guest who is coming tonight will be a Yenchie, his dress will be quite obviously foreign as well as his accent. I met him long ago and he is to be treated as royalty. Set in my throne if I am unable to greet him immediately. Do you understand everything I just told you?"

"Yes." Her one word answers pleased me and I dismissed her in our normal English language.

I picked up my small phone book, it held all the numbers of friends and foes with in the small leather pages. There were few names listed under Q but the one that held my interest tonight was half way down the page. John Quinn, Shifter, and COE of his own entertainment business; what an ass.

Dialing the number and extension left me bored. I did not want to speak with the animal but it had to be done.

"Quinn here, who am I talking to?" Quinn's voice rasped through the phone, I could hear squealing in the background and it made my resolve even stronger.

"Northman. Calling to confirm everything is on schedule for next week." I paused, the squealing turned into sobs.

"Yes, everything is running like clockwork, you are still doing the ceremony right?" He had put his hand over the receiver but I could hear him yelling at someone.

"I am honored to be doing the ceremony. Yet I have some regretful news for you. I am calling also to claim Sookie. You have not been around her in over 30 days, your claim has expired. She is mine now. All of her." I thought to the child that grew within her womb, it would be mine too or I would destroy it. "We will be at the conference but you will not make any contact with her. Am I making myself clear?"

"What the fuck." A scream pierced through the phone, "You really think that shit is going to fly with Sookie? I doubt it will. I know she makes her own decisions, so fuck off!"

"I doubt you would be so uncouth if we were not on the phone but face to face. Just remember to stay away from her or there will be a challenge issued. She is mine; now and forever."

"We'll see." Click. Staring at the phone I realized he did not cower with regard to my command. His insolence was appalling. I was used to having the last word. It did little to improve my rapidly growing black mood.

I left my office to find someone to amuse me, I found Pam with new day guy in the back store room. She had pinned him up against the wall and was feeding off of him erotically. The new day guy's name is Jahir he has been training with Bobby and from all accounts he is quite handy with mundane task plus in he won a stupid amount of money in the lottery a few years past. He confined in Bobby he would like to be made Vampire soon before he goes completely bald.

Pam is currently running her tongue along his jugular while rubbing his crotch with her palm. The tent in his pants is visible from across the room. Quickly she sinks her fangs into his throbbing vein and he releases all of his bodily fluids for her.

"Clean up in here when you're done Pam, your pet made a mess." I know where the urine came from that is stinking up the corner of my office. Great, she has a wetter for a pet. Shaking my head I leave my prodigy and her meal. A man in roughly hewn jacket, wool pants looking as if they spun and woven by hand was standing at the door way arguing with Ginger about his need to see the Norseman.

"I'm sorry sir but all we got here is Eric _Northman_. We ain't got any Norseman here, their on the other side of the ocean. Maybe you're looking for some other Vampire bar." Her foot high blond bangs bounced around as she spoke. The little Yeniche man spotted me across the room as I stride toward him.

"That is Norseman." He pushed the skinny blood bag out of his way. "We go to your office."

He was short but incredible strong for his age and size. The little man was the official runner for the counsel; he had part troll and shifter in him. They lived long lives if allowed to do so in the wilderness. He was so old I didn't know his birth name. The only name I had ever known him as was 'Runner'.

We spoke in Romanian for the remainder of his visit, "Runner I am honored with your presence."

"Yeah, yeah that is what they all say, cut the flattery. I have known you too long for that crap Norseman. You received the package?" I nodded and he continued. "Good, the Oracle does not send them out to every member of the royal court, so count yourself blessed. Sophie-Anne has many spies, I would recommend leaving before she realizes what is really going to go on at her trail. Up until now she has been granted special privileges because she had shown some remorse but no longer. The counsel found out about the killings of her prodigy. That was no good. Did you help cover it up?"

I could not lie, "Yes, I helped but she had already made such a mess of it by the time I was told and called there was little I could do. I spoke with one of the Oracles hand maids this morning and informed her of the insanity that has gripped the Queen. She is going to end us all if she has the chance."

"I do not doubt that. It has been amazing she has stayed sane this long with her prodigy dying all around her. She took very little interest in the lessons the Oracle tried teaching her when she was young. If a prodigy dies, it takes some of your soul with you. She did not heed the warnings. It seems she has created many in the last few years. Hadley, that was one of her favorite pets turned prodigy, was she not?"

"Yes, and she was part fae to make matters worse. The three that were killed had only been made a few months ago, I did not know them personally."

"Who were they before they were made?" Runner sat in the leather chair behind my desk. I smiled inwardly at his boldness. He knew he was protected by the counsels' authority.

"I believe they were rift raft from the French Quarter. They came from nowhere to go nowhere. I highly doubt anyone will miss them much. There are three of us whom were trying to keep the Queen under control. Her lover and prodigy Andre, Bill Compton who recently lost his maker and myself were the ones who watched for the safety of the community. Andre has come to realize it is going to be her or him. But he will not be able to end her, as no Vampire would be able to send their maker to the true death."

"That is a shame, when did you lose your maker, I have forgotten. There have been so many beings I have known over the centuries. Appius passed recently, no?"

"Not so recently, it has been close to 200 years."

"Yes, now I remember you came to the Oracle; you were grieving for him at the time. Do you recall what she told you?" He propped his dirty feet on my newly cleaned desk. He was testing me in more ways than one but the lessons the Oracle taught me had not faded over the centuries.

"To wait for the one with the honeyed tongue, follow the sun into the light, do not fight all that is right, open my heart so it may not be torn apart and remember the tales I have forgotten with my brain that is rotten." I smiled with the last stanza; she always had to remind everyone their brains were rotting out of our ears at night. Even young Vampires would believe the silly daytime story told to frighten Vampires into submission.

"Have you found your honey tongued woman?" Runner smiled from across the desk, his shoes were covered in dung and there was cracks in the soles showing filthy skin within.

"Yes, it can be sweet but also quite sticky when she wants. She is the Granddaughter to Prince Niall, so I would most definitely believe I could follow her into the light, and as for opening my heart. I will do so when the time is right. I care for her deeply. Plus my brain is not completely rotten yet, I still have quite a few of faculties left." Grinning, I stood and went to the door. I had hear Thalia approach with a steady heartbeat. "I have a present for the Oracle, I had heard she developed an allergy of the years. She may find this young woman able to soothe her some."

"Hell Fires Eric, the woman could scare the lice off of a beggar. Her teeth almost stick straight out! What is that stench, she smells worse than any whore house I have been to." Runner stood up and walked towards the exotic blood bag. He looked her over like a rancher looking over a steer. Touching her breasts a little roughly enough to make the woman flinch, pinching her cheeks and hips. "She is skinny I doubt she will last a fortnight but if you say the Oracle will like her I will take her across Asia."

"Please send my humble thanks to her." I bowed as Runner left my office grasping the frightened woman by her upper arm.

My phone vibrated in my pocket as Runner left Fangtasia. I looked at the number a split second before answering it. Sookie had impeccable timing. Yet she should have been here close to an hour ago.

"Sookie, where are you? My instructions I relayed to Bobby was for you to be here at sunset. I am already here where are you?"

"I just turned off the highway and should be there in like five but-" She sounded strained, I wondered if she knew she was pregnant yet.

"Good. Hurry up." I did not want to have any pregnancy conversation of the phone plus I needed to find Niall's phone number so I could ask for Sookie and me to bond.

Quickly I walked into my office and began searching for the short list of people who I occasionally needed to speak with. My phone vibrated in my hand again, Sookie had called back.

"Help! There has been a car following me and when I say following I mean right on my ass pretty much the whole way from Bon Ton. I slowed down; they slowed down. I sped up; they sped up. I turned off for Fangtasia and now they are still following. Should I still come there or what? Crap." Pam had walked in on the middle of Sookie's tyrant and muttered

"Fuck." Was all she could manage because I still had yet released her to speak.

"What? What is Crap?"

"The light is turning," I could hear her pressing her foot to the brake as the grinding of metal on metal began.

"Run it." I command. Pulling Pam to the front of the building I motioned for her to find Sookie; Thalia took off running as well.

"Eric!" She screeched but I hear her take her foot off of the brake.

"Run it. I will be in the parking lot waiting for you." I took to the sky for a better view of where she was at. The only light from the highway to my bar was less than three blocks. As I rose in the air I could see the yellow beater cruising through the yellow/red light. "You will stay on the line until you get into the parking lot. So make small talk."

There is a brief pause as she gathered her thoughts, "I'm pregnant. How is that for small talk?"

"I know." I really did not want to have this conversation considering who the father is.

"What," She pierces my ear. "How could've you known, I have only known for like four hours."

"I smelled your hormones the last time I was at Bill's. He had been keeping your health a secret. I assume it is the tiger's." For once in a long while, I wished I were able to have children by my own seed. I had not been able give a child a name in close to 1500 years.

"What's that supposed to mean, you assume? You have better tabs on me than my own brother. Of course it's Quinn's."

"I see you, continue to the bar. Just exit the car as you normally would." I end the call as she parks her jalopy.

She struggles with the door of her car but I lose interest when the second car with Thalia perched on the roof rolls into the parking lot. Pam points to the license plate as she hustles into the lot. "GODISSN" blazes across the plate. This day is getting worse by the second. Crap, has been the correct word of my last fortnight. Fellowship of the Sun has never been an organization I wanted near my bar. It just pisses me off they were following Sookie.

Thalia has a creepy smile on her face, she is so small and unassuming that people often mistake her for a small teenager. Pam has a feral grin on her face, but it causes me pride rather than fear.

As I descend, Sookie emerges from the wrong side of the car. It is a little too late for me to change my landing point. Unfortunate for her, my down draft tosses her to the pavement. The crunching I hear is a bit sickening as she lands on her face but my focus is on Thalia who is getting ready to pounce and Pam who has her fangs descended; waiting for the men to exit the vehicle.

Two burly looking men about the size of Quinn get out of the car. I have my protective stance over Sookie now. They will not be harming her tonight or ever. Pam has the passenger on the hood of the car before he even realizes she was there. The driver stood looking at his buddy being eviscerated. Blanching for a second he realizes he must make a move either to leave or die. Stupidly he chooses die. As he takes a step from the car, Thalia with one hand grabs the man by the back of the neck and pulls him to her mouth. His scream wrenched the air for a moment before she silenced him with a quick chop to a nerve bundle.

"Pam, Thalia take them to the basement. I want no trace of them left. Thalia; get rid of Sookies' car in the process. Make it look like an accident. I need to buy her some time." Gently I sweep Sookie up into my arms and watch her eyes flutter close as she listens to my dead heart.


	3. Chapter 3

EPOV

Carrying Sookie though the employee's entrance I see Bill standing at the end of the hall with his cell phone pressed discretely in his palm. I could not quite make out who or what he was texting but he was sending a message to someone and I did not like it. My safety as well as Sookie's depended on those closest to me staying loyal.

Sookie mumbled my name in her unconscious state, clinging to the front of my shirt; this gave me an idea. Walking into my office I quietly kick the door shut behind me. I kneel in front of the couch, cradling her in my arms like a child. She looks so sweet and radiant, the glow that surrounds her is quite bright and she feels like my personal sun. Leaning my head over I bury my face in her hair and breathe deeply. Images of summers' long ago streak through my brain. Flowers, sunshine, laundry flapping in the sun drenched afternoons all merge together from the single scent lingering in her hair.

An opposite sense causes me to sigh, burring my face deeper within her smell, trying to block the sounds from my ears. I hear the screams of desperation from the basement. No human would ever be able to notice the noises especially over the thumping of the bass coming from the bar. Yet, I know every Vampire within a mile radius can hear and most likely smell what is going on in my personal torture rooms. Begrudgingly I pull my face from Sookies' hair and gently lay her on the couch. Her hand clutches my shirt tighter as I lay her down and in the process one of the pearl buttons unsnaps. I wonder what she would do if she had my shirt for herself. Slipping my arm one at a time from the fabric, I release the tension as the shirt lies within her palm. Sighing she buries her face in the material and rolls on her side facing the back of the couch. It is taking all my strength and resolve not to climb on the sofa with her just for a few minutes. When we come together again I want her to be fully awake and realize what she is doing.

Standing I walk over to the desk to find what I was looking for when Sookie called back the second time. There are several numbers I need one of them is Niall Brigant's number which is written on the inside flap of an old match book in my desk. The match book is so old and dirty, it looks I threw it in there decades ago; which is more or less what I did. The other number is on the back of a card for a cleaning service I have used quite often. I locate the cleaning service card first and dial the number quickly.

"Vampire this better be good." The voice answers in a brisk tone and irritated demeanor which meant I got a hold of the woman I needed.

"Good to hear your voice, Doctor. I have a few questions about a bonding with a pregnant woman." I study Sookie laying with her back to me; even with the distance in between us I feel an unusual pull towards her.

"Why the hell are you gonna do that? If you want babies' blood this isn't the way to go about it!" She snarls at me through the phone.

"I have heard of backhanded complements but that sounds like backhanded optimism."

"Who are you going to bond with? That may be a better place to start with." Dr. Ludwig was grunting in between every word.

"Sookie Stackhouse, the telepath."

"Yeah, I remember her. Is she willing?"

"She is." I am confident when I approach her about our bonding she will be excited.

"This isn't something to be done by force boy!" She roared at me.

"I am calling for a medical opinion. Will she need any supplements before it's done? I think she will not want any harm to come to the baby." I grimace thinking of who the father is, and I would have liked nothing better than harm to come to the baby at that moment. "I am not asking for myself but for Sookie."

"God, you are stupid even for a Vampire! Don't give her anything with iron in it. She is Fae you moron, or didn't you get the memo? The iron supplements will either kill her or abort the baby, who knows. If she is tired and you are bonding anyway; give her some of your blood."

"Thanks Amy." This woman really pisses me off more often than most, if she was not so useful I would have killed her long ago.

"It's Dr. Ludwig to you." What the fuck? Why is everyone over the phone ripping me a new asshole today?

"As far as the bonding itself, Dr. Ludwig, I have never heard of another couple doing it. What can you tell me about the process?" I am trying to use my super polite tone without having my fangs descend.

"If you want to logistics of bonding with a pregnant woman; I can give you all the information I know about it. You have some paper to write what I tell you?"

"Yes," I grab a blank notebook from the lower right hand drawer of my desk with lightning speed; instantaneously locate a pen to take notes.

"Are you ready? It may be difficult for you to get it all down. " She pauses as I acknowledge whatever she is about to say will be life changing. "I know nothing. Don't bother me again unless it is a life or death emergency asshole." The phone went dead.

Sitting back in my chair I stare into the receiver. My fangs descend with an audible click, blood lust rages through me. The bitch hung up on me. In disbelief, I sit the phone on the desk. I have such strong urges to call her back, but patience prevails. Again with being hung up on. In this instant I hate the fact Vampires are out of the closet; it seems that the blood bags, even if they are other super naturals, believe Vampires are their equals. Maybe if I would hunt more often then…

No, I must stay focused on the tasks of the evening. My second call has to be made now. There is no time to spare. There are few Vampires who I would trust with the knowledge of my bonding; the Ancient Pythoness would have been one of the only I would normally trust with what I am about to do. She would have been my choice for my witness at the bonding ceremony but since she is half a world away, I will have to turn to the next best thing. The only other vampire I know of that has the age to go with her wisdom is Destiny, she lives in the Bayou with nothing but her gators, many believe she is a crazy old Vamp. Yet, I know this to be a false description of her.

Once again I am rummaging in my desk for some obscure and long forgotten number. Thinking to myself that the misconceptions of humans are too funny, they had an odd belief Vampires have total recall. Some may have that ability but like with them, Vampires can and do forget things. Almost always they are useless things like numbers. Those were never my strong suit when I was human and it would just go to figure they would not be something I retained easily now.

The phone number is on the back of a long forgotten check from the early part of the last century. Worn yellowed paper, which could almost crumble in between my fingers if I wasn't so cautious, holds the telephone number from when switch boards were last used. I wonder if the number could be the same after close to 75 years since I last contacted the Vampire. Dialing the number, I watch Sookie's breathing in her slow rhythmic pattern.

"Hello?" The voice sounded rather puzzed when picking up the phone, like she had not done it ever or in a really long time.

"Destiny, this is Eric. Eric Northman, Sheriff of area 5." I pause and hear her suck in her breath even though we have no need to breathe. It must have been a shock for her to hear my voice after close to a century lapse of communication. "I have a question that you may hold the answer to."

"Eric, it is surprising to say the least." Her voice has an angelic quality to it. Although, I had been on the lethal end of her fangs during a battle many centuries ago. "Good evening Sheriff, it has been a long time. How may I serve you?"

I felt a little smug knowing she had to bow to my wishes due to the impending coo; I did not doubt she already knew about the Yeniche visiting. The man was after all a friend to her as he was her maker's assistant. My blood lust left me the longer I hear her voice at the other end of the phone.

"I am going to bond with a pregnant woman, who has fae blood." I added qualitatively. "Do you know of any repercussions that may occur when doing this?"

"She is willing I presume." Her words were clipped and left little compromise in her meaning.

Confidently I answered, "I am quite certain she will be."

"Her cooperation is vital, as is having the consent of her eldest male relation. This is very important, Sheriff. If it is done in betrayal for any reason it may not bode well for." She paused for a second in almost an attempt to suppression an unnamed emotion. "But if she is willing everything will go smoothly. Will the biological father mind his loss of the woman?" 

"Truthfully the shifter can go to hell for all I care. I may send him there after everything is said and done anyhow. Depending slightly on my soon to be bonded's feelings." I vehemently replied.

"Oh, the father is a shifter?" She did not bother for me to respond. "That changes something's. Hmm, where to begin. First, she will sleep for a long period of time after the bonding is completed. During that sleep period the children in question will change to your children."

"What?" I snapped at her.

"Vampire's can change the offspring of Shifters to their own. The blood of the child will be replaced with yours and will ultimately become a Vampire hybrid or Vae for short."

"Why have I never heard of this before?"

"It is old magic and the fae have kept it from general knowledge for a long time. I only found out about it because of my maker's connections." I could hear the fabric of her clothes shift against her skin as she shrugged. "It would not work with just any human. It has to be a fae hybrid. The pure fae cannot mask their scent for the bonding and the vampire lost control time and again killed the fae. Long ago it was common to do this but after the fae war, most of the hybrids were killed. This is why the sky and water fairies have been fighting for years. Niall did not talk to you about it?"

"No, Niall does not want me to have much contact with my lover." Stopping short, I think back on the conversation. I never mentioned Niall was the grandfather to Sookie. I feel my fangs descend of their own accord as my blood heats up for battle. "How did you know about Niall?"

"We have been in contact for several years about Sookie." Her voice is pleasant almost cheerful.

"You know my intended?" I was shocked she was in contact with Niall but she was a very well connected Vampire if not a bit of a loner.

"Truth be told she is a descendant of sorts to me. Her lineage can be traced back to my sister, as you found out; I had no living children." Darkly she told me.

Destiny had lived a long time prior to be turned, the sad fact was she had very little to live for in the human world. She had lived with the Yenchi when she was alive; they were the ones who served her up to her maker. I was in court when the woman was brought in. She was in rags and sorely abused. It was surprising she survived the transformation process.

"I am entrusting you with my blood Eric." Her voice was low but neither sad nor menacing.

It was a gentle way for her to give me her blessing, not many Vampires ever received a blessing from another Vampire. Destiny was truly a diamond in the ruff. She was a young Vampire in comparison to me but one that I greatly respected. The respect stemmed, not only for her current blessing but because of her stance on the current relations between the supernatural communities as a whole. I firmly believe if anything ever happened to the Ancient Pythoness, Destiny would replace the old Vampire.

"I thank you; I will do all in my power protecting her from outside and inner harm." I said more heartfelt than I had said in centuries.

"Call me once the bonding is to happen. I would enjoy being your witness at the ceremony." She laughed heartily. "I could use some time away from my Bayou. Is there anything else, Sheriff?"

She reverted back to formalities; I am humbled by her show of respect. "No, that will be all my thanks again. I will call you with the details as soon as I am certain when it will occur. Although we will be traveling to Vermont on the morrow, you are welcome to join us."

"So you are going to make this legal in both human and vampire eyes. Very wise, very wise indeed. I am at your command. I will join you in Shreveport at dusk tomorrow."

She gave me her cell phone number, telling me with humor in her voice she could not get rid of her land line because of old acquaints would never be able to find her elsewise. We make small talk for a few more minutes and as we were about to hang up she reminded me to call Niall. I am swarmed with difficult emotions to process.

Elation that there is a possibility after centuries of no longer having any of my blood descendants left on earth, I may have a child once more. Fear Sookie may reject me and dash my hopes of a child. Pride is the strongest, the knowledge I could over power the shifter's biology to make the child my own.

Picking up the match book, I run my thumb across the worn cover. Flipping open the pack I see the faded scrawl of Niall. His eloquent hand writing seems to be beckoning me. Once again I dial the phone and settle in for an interesting conversation.


	4. Chapter 4

EPOV

I was standing in my white wife beater, turning the match book over and over in my hand. I was lost in my own reality at the possibility of having offspring of my own again. All my children had died centuries ago and I never was the type of Vampire to reminisce over my human life. Obliviously after speaking with Destiny there were some Vampires that do just that and therefore keep tabs on distance relations. Human fragments were still left inside me, the desire to love and be loved, procreation, protection of what was mine; all of those thoughts and feelings surfaced in the few minutes I thought about the future. A vivid and very realistic future with Sookie and any child we may have.

The time slowly slipped away from me as I did an internal battle to call Niall right that moment or wait for a period of time. I was called away from the internal battle to do battle with the external world. I placed the match book in my right side back pocket with my wallet. In the time I was distracted I left the hallway unmonitored. There was a repetitive clicking outside my office door that brought me out of my thoughts. Hearing the clicking I realized it was a person using a cell phone directly on the other side of the door.

Swiftly, I levitate over to the door, effectively moving me to where I wanted to go without making a sound. My door has a peep hole which is so small even Pam has never noticed it nor used it. It seems to have no importance to a guest in the office, on the other side it hardly shows in the dim light of the hallway. The two holes actually seem to look like scratches but serve a good purpose.

Looking through it I see Bill standing on the other side with his cell phone in hand, rapidly typing into his phone. I had long ago forbidden the use of cell phones within the walls of Fangtasia by Vampires. I think of the last two calls I made with no guard outside the door and instantly I am regretful. In the blink of an eye I am standing next to Bill, grinning feral like at him.

"What are you doing Bill?" He is staring intently at his phone in a manner that is a kin to a bonded. Without hesitation I take the phone away from him. "Billy Boy who are you spying for?" I scroll through his history of his one sided conversation which documents hourly reports on my movements as well as Sookies there are smatters of Sophie-Anne's coming and goings. He either foolishly left them on the phone or he wanted me to find out about the texting. The history is extensive and goes back several months. Perplexed I look to him for the answers, arching my eyebrow I wait for a response but none is forth coming. He looks like he is trying to make the words but is unable similarly to when I command my prodigy not to speak and she attempts to try it.

"Bill are we going to have to play twenty questions?" Typically Vampires fear playing this game with me, although Bill is standing in front of me nodding his head adamantly; pointing to his nose and then back to me. "Is your maker alive?" He shakes his head. "Are you under the power of another?" He nods his head rapidly. "Did you sign a binding blood contract?" He nodded his head so rapidly I thought it might snap off any second. "Are you sending information on me and Sookie to the person whom you are bound to now?" More rapid nodding. I scroll to the original point of contact it was some months back near Valentine's Day.

Bill's Judith had left near that time but never spoke of it; I wondered what Judith could hold over him. "Does this have something to do with Judith?" Relief flooded his face as he nodded. "Are you blood bound to her?" He shook his head in frustration. He made motions like he was a king, a septum in hand and walking around pompous like. "Are you bound to the Queen?" Another shake of the head. "Is whoever this is; are they close to the Queen?" He tilted his hand left and right indicating indifference. "Can you write who it is?" Bill made a face like he didn't know the answer. I toss him his phone. "One last question, were you trying to warn me by breaking my rules and texting in Fangtasia?"

Bill just kept nodding his head in seeming relief that he was finally going to be able to tell me about what he was doing behind my back for the last 6 months. Frantically he typed into the phone and displayed an incredibly long text which sent directly to my phone. I retrieved it from my front left pocket of my jeans and read:

_The Queen took Judith shortly after I finished healing in February. Sophie-Anne told me Judith had gone to court willingly yet I find that hard to believe. Upon arrival Judith was seized and sent to the Magistrate in lieu of Sophie-Anne. The Magistrate was displeased with the substitution but has little leverage over ruling monarchs; even if she is insane. I tried paying him off but he is unwilling to give me back Judith. He wrote a blood binding contract; requiring my assistance in spying on you, Sookie, and the Queen for a year. At the end of the year he will return Judith safely to me. _

"Do you believe he will return her safely?" I asked. He shook his head morosely. "Did you just realize this?" Humbly he nodded his head. I had only one brother from Appius, he had never been someone I was close to but I knew if a time came and I needed family he would be one of the only Vampires I could count on. Blood binds, it heals and in time it forgets old wounds. "Keep telling him information for now. We don't want to alert him of my knowledge."

"Thank you, for your help." Bill managed as he struggled to regain his speech, I could tell he wanted to say more but the blood binding is strong and bends the will of the bound Vampire similar to the control a maker has over their child. The only way to break the binding was to have the Vampire who was bound to become a maker, the magic was old and not general information for ever Vampire.

"Did the Magistrate have a visit in the last two months?" I ask if it doesn't pertain to the binding he may be able to speak of it.

"Yes." Bill squeaked, his voice even surprised him. "Three days past when you were in silver with the Queen he came to Bon Ton to check on me personally. He saw Sookie at that time and he knows she is pregnant. I claimed I had no understanding of why she was glowing and only believed it was a Fae side effect. I have been keeping my distance from her on purpose, I am not sure if he can sense if I am lying or not."

"He can tell." I told him flatly and wondered if Judith was still even alive at this point. I was furious for his betrayal but I understood his desire in saving his sibling. Judith has always been an innocent in the politics of Vampires. Her simpleton mind rivals Bubba's but she does have uses. In her human life she was a great painter and was sought after by the Roman Catholic Church. She had fled to the United States where by fate Lorena had acquired her for Bill. He never forgave himself for being taken with her; in his preoccupation with her, it cost her mortal life.

"He is going to abduct Sookie tomorrow if you stay in the state." Bill managed before a pain, I had known very well for trying to break a blood binding on my own, ripped through is body.

"No he will not, we are leaving the state in the morning." I flicked my finger to his phone, making sure he would text that to the Magistrate. "Does the Queen know of your contract with the Magistrate?"

"Yes, she knew I would be doing special projects for the Magistrate for the safe return of Judith." He said while texting the Magistrate what I wanted him to know. "When I gave her the contract to have it bound she did not even make sure the names or dates were correct when she handed them to the witch." Bill's hands were shaking slightly as he began to text more into the phone. My phone vibrated seconds after his hands stilled.

_The Magistrate had knowledge of Sookie before this blood binding took place; he wanted her instead of Judith. I was in court when he asked the Queen for a hostage exchange Judith for Sookie, the Queen laughed at him dismissing him with a wave of her hand. As he was leaving he saw me standing in the shadows. I received a formal summons to his private quarters in the Queen's estate house. I offered him the rights to the computer program, my estate in Bon Ton so he could keep an eye on Sookie_

My fist flew at his face on its own accord, smashing into the left side of his face. I felt bones crunch underneath my knuckles and I knew they were not my own. Staggering back from the blow Bill hit the door to the basement causing it to open. I didn't hesitate in pushing him down the stairs.

"Read the rest, Eric!" Bill panted from the bottom of the staircase.

_But he refused saying it would be too obvious. He mentioned Quinn was not done with his part of the bargain. At the time I was in such a panic to get Judith back I would have done or said anything to have her back safely. So the blood binding was offered on his end. I accepted without hesitation. I have to check in with him hourly via texting, daily by email, and weekly over the phone. He has come unexpectedly every few weeks and I could not figure out the pattern until Quinn showed up last. It was four days after Quinn's monthly visits to Sookie. After reviewing my notes, I saw the pattern of Quinn and the Magistrates checkups- four days after the inseminations. Somehow Quinn and the Magistrate are connected. _

* * *

><p>Standing at the top of the stairs, I quietly called for Clancy; instructing him to watch over Sookie while I take care of matters in the basement. By the time I reached the base of the stairs Bill's face has begun to mend itself. Disgusted, I walk past him to the first room on the right. Blood was smattered on the walls; Thalia was in the middle of the it. Only a few hours ago it would have been called a man, barely a pulse threaded through its veins. The young looking Vampire was covered in bowels, lacing small intestines through her fingers tugging here and there like she was some sort of puppeteer.<p>

"Did it talk?" I asked.

Laughing merrily Thalia tickled its liver. "He spilled his guts."

"Finish it off before the meeting. Then take care of the vehicles, make it look like an accident… if you can." I added the last qualitatively considering its present state.

I shut the door behind me and glanced at Bill whom never had the stomach for torturing correctly. Walking down the hallway to the end where screams were still audible.

"Don't cut that, I need that." The man screeched. Obviously this man was still intact. Opening the door I let the light flood the dimly lit room. On the gurney a mass lump of bloody tissue was squirming to find a comfortable position. The man was strapped with stained nylon cording; I had invested in the best during the late 80's, it had yet to fail. Pam was in a surgeon outfit, she did love her role playing a bit too much at times.

Her scalpel was poised over his eye lid, one gloved hand holding his eye lid while the other made delicate sawing motions in front of an amplified pupil.

"Excuse me Doctor, has the patient filled out the correct paperwork for an eyelift?" Pam and I had been torturing humans over a century together. We had our own dialect when it came to situations like this.

"Mister, sir, I haven't filled out any paperwork. This crazy bitch just keeps cutting, I haven't touched a pen. AHHHHHHH!" The scalpel finally pierced his eye lid.

"No paper work was necessary for this procedure. Perhaps the next one will need it. I believe I am done with his transformation. Should I send in the cleaning crew now or later?" Pam pulled her mask slightly away from her face, placed the scalpel in between her mask and lips licking the blood off, then placed it on a meticulously clean tray which held clamps, saw blades, and an assortment of other shiny instruments. Her eyes were dancing. Ever since we were forbidden to hunt outright she had indulged in any tortures we performed.

"I think he may live to see another day." I blandly looked the man over. His size was right, if he turned out half as well as I thought he might it would bode well for me and perhaps even Bill.

"Who will see him to the dawn?" Pam was a little put out I was not going to allow her to send in the cleaning crew.

"I believe it is time for Doctor Bill to take over from here." I pushed the door wider so Bill could see what I was sending him into deal with.

"What do you want me to do with that? Half of his blood is gone, he is so mutilated I doubt his maker above would recognize him." Bill managed to say while his jaw seemed still to be mending.

"Ah but you will be his maker down below, take you penance Bill." I pushed him into the room as Pam walked out to me. The screaming of maker and prodigy could be heard over the din of the bar but only to Vampires with acute hearing.

* * *

><p>There was a room off of the side of the torture chambers set up as a secondary office. It was off limits to Pam for her sexual encounters and thankfully it did not smell of urine. Thalia was dragging a black bag to the dumb waiter at the end of the hallway. I heard the hose turn on as she washed the walls, ridding them of the blood, guts and other bodily fluids.<p>

"What did you learn?" I sit behind the metal desk. There is no feng shui going on in this office. It is purely functional, there is a sleek black laptop sitting closed in the center of the desk. Efficiently Pam opens the small computer and clicks through a series of questions. Routing the connections she opens the final portal to the Fellowship of the Sun. The two men who exited the car hours before beamed at me from across cyber space.

I read the profiles of each child, neither of them were old enough to master mind coming after Sookie. The one Thalia had custody of was the son of a high ranking deacon, the other was a new comer to the church. The information lent to the assumption he was a child of the streets from Hurricane Katrina, his parents were lost in the flooding that fell the city, afterwards he was left to the social system which failed him until he 'by the grace of god' landed him with the Reverend and his wife who raised him as their own.

"So the local's are restless or was this something more?" I look at my prodigy who has sat quietly in her surgeon mask, white coat, green gloves, and stethoscope around her neck.

"He kept talking about the glory was to be his father's. But by all accounts his father is dead. Who is this boy's father? Some fish food at the bottom of the sea!" Pam's voice was slightly muffled by the cloth covering her face.

"Perhaps they were sent to do harm to the bar and followed Sookie by mistake." I offered.

"No, he told me specifically he was to abduct the race traitor. She was going to die at the hands of her fellow man. Idiots, they still think they are the only ones that live in their society." Disgustedly, Pam ripped the surgical mask off her face; it was as pristine and clean as when she exited the bar.

"Who specifically wanted her?" I was tensed and ready for a fight even though it was only Pam sitting across from me.

"Down Boy, The Great Reverend Steve Newlin, who is currently in Utah, is the one who is after her." Pam's mouth held no mirth. This was a man who time and time again came after me, her and Sookie.

Sitting in stunned silence, we both pondered what to do. Pam was the first to speak, "You could contact the council and notify them of his whereabouts." I just shook my head, whereas Newlin was a pain the ass he was not a great concern to the council at this point. He was more of a problem to me and particularly Sookie.

"We will discuss this on the morrow. For now, please ready Sookie for the meeting, I have to step outside for a private phone call. Prodigy we have much to discuss. Please die for the day at my home." I touched her cheek from across the desk as I spoke to her. There was once long ago where after torture sessions we would fall into bed together in blood lust, but she was a mature Vampire now and could control her blood lust. I did not see her as a sexual partner any longer but rather a fond companion that I had through centuries.

Bill was bartering with his soon to be new prodigy, "I need to drain you now so we can have you be recreated."

"But I don't want to be a blood sucker." The boy pathetically wailed from the gurney.

"If you want to died, I can make that happen. If you wish to see another night I can make that happen too. But if your wish is to live and be human it is not within my power to do so." Bill droll as ever told the boy.

From the hallway, I debated on tell Bill why I was having him become a maker. Perhaps if I told him he would be less reluctant in making a new vampire. I listened for a second longer when I heard the boy whisper, "Why are you crying? Are you scared too?" With one functioning eye he could still see Bill well enough to relay the event changing information.

Quietly I said in the direction of Bill, "If you make him Vampire Bill, you will be freed from your binding to the Magistrate." It was enough to make him act; I heard the piercing scream from the boy on the gurney. Climbing the stairs I listened as the boy's heart slowed. By the time I finished my phone call to Niall it would be done.

* * *

><p>Walking past my office door, I could hear Sookie breathing evenly through the door. <em>I really must sound proof this office better<em>. I thought to myself. I looked through the peep hole and saw Clancy sitting in the guest chair in front of the desk, with it directed at the couch. He really took keeping a close eye on Sookie to the extreme at times but it was appreciated.

Walking to the end of the hallway, I made a signal to the front door man to stop allowing breathers into the building. We had roughly an hour and half until 2, the time when all bars must close. Yet that was the time my area would be having our meeting about the Rhodes summit. Turning about I went and exited the building through the back door. Flying up to the roof, I retrieved the match book from my back pocket and dialed the number.

This conversation was going to suck and not in the good way. Niall being one the last princes of the Sky Fae holds great power both in his world and mine. He is also a member of the great council, him the Ancient Pythonesses, the Oracle and few others generally make up the laws the supernatural community has to abide by. Somehow I am going to have to convince this man, who has been sending pure fairies to impregnate his great granddaughter, to grant me permission to marry one of his surviving granddaughters.

I leave a message on his voice mail, "Prince Niall, this Eric Northman. I have pressing matters about Sookie I must discuss with you prior to my death for the day. Call when you receive this message."

I end the one sided conversation and sit on the roof waiting for the return call. I watch Thalia load up the "GODISSN" car with the one body. She drives the car out of the parking lot like a little old lady, which in retrospect she is; considering she is very close in age to me. Patrons begin to filter out the door, none look to the roof, but I see them leave. Slightly drunk, more than sexually excited, and a few bite marks. Two Vampires follow a group of young woman; they are silently stalking their prey. In this instance I will allow it. There is to be no feeding in the bar area but I have seen the humans slip into the Vampire's 'powder room' from time to time. The powder room is more a rest and staging area for us, we have no need for the restroom but it is nice to get away from the humans once in a while.

Looking down at my phone, I will it to ring. Contacting other supernaturals used to be such a pain; summon a witch who summoned a daemon who could transport you to the Fairy Realm but it had to be someone worthy of the Fae and on and on it went. Prearranging meetings were the best way to get in contact with one of the Fae in the old days. It was one of the reasons the Great Council came about; every type of supernatural being at some point would need to make contact with other supernaturals. Marriage arrangements, announcements of a birth, or whatever their need was the Great Council could help. Therefore it was agreed upon each Realm or supernatural race would have a representative on the Great Council, it would create a point of contact if the need arose.

The phone vibrated as I was on the verge of putting it back into my pocket, pushing the little green talk button I was excessive and thought I may have pushed too hard. Yet I heard the line open.

"Hello, this is Northman."

"Sheriff, so nice to speak with you, what do you want with Sookie?" Niall was not one to mince words, a quality I appreciated.

"Have you been keeping close tabs on Sookie?" I asked cautiously.

"Of course I have, she has great value; both in your world and in my own. Again what is it you want with Sookie?" Typically I could get a sense of the person on the other end of a phone, Niall was difficult to read.

"I want to bond with Sookie." I was getting ready for the verbal argument of my life when Niall responded with two words I was unprepared for.

"Do it." His response caught me off guard, so I continued with my argument before I realized what he actually had spoken.

"She is pregnant with John Quinn's cub. Excuse me what did you say?" I tried to sound contrite but I think it came out more or less confused.

"Bond with her, you only have one more exchange of blood until you are completely bonded, yes?" He kept a closer eye on her than I would have anticipated.

"Yes, one more time should bond us for life." I heard myself saying automatically.

"Then bond with her, I cannot protect her while I am in the Fae Realm and those who I have left in charge of her seem to believe in human rights. Whatever the flowery beyond that means; _human rights_! She is half Fae! Yet those two cousins I left in charge have allowed her to do as she pleases because of her _human_ blood. She is not out of control, yet, but things are coming and I cannot secure her position or lineage from where I am at. I will trust you with her life. I cannot make the bonding therefore Jason, as must as I dislike the boy, he must take my place at the bonding." Niall's voice had increased in strength during his tirade about the cousins but seemed to close down when speaking about Jason; interesting.

"What of the child? Will the Fae magic allow the child to become mine?" I wanted Sookie regardless but I wanted to be prepared if the child could not be mine. It would have to be fostered out; the sight of the cub may send me into a rage.

"The children will be yours." Niall commented as if he was talking of a pebble in the street.

"Children, as in plural of child?" I croaked, not something I have done for centuries. "How many?"

"All will be revealed in good time. Good bye Northman, take care of the princess, and protect her well."


	5. Chapter 5

I feel so darn clueless at times; I can't always distinguish my dreams from reality when I'm dreaming. Like when I dream lately they are all a big jumbled soap opera going on in my brain but they seem so real. It was the same tonight when I passed out in Eric's arms. My dreams have always had an eerie sense of reality to them but lately it is almost like I can see into the future. Because I remember last night being followed by a folks and tonight an old beat up Honda and that seemed to happen tonight. A few weeks past I dreamt I wouldn't be able to find a cat that I liked at the animal shelter and I couldn't when I got there. But being able to forecast the future wouldn't be something I've ever wish I could do. But it looks like I might be able to. Which I really hope isn't the case because who knows if I would see something bad and just not say anything the next morning because it would make me more of a freak than I already am.

So my dream started off with me sitting in a field that I am really familiar with and it isn't too far away from the family homestead. I used to come to this place when I was a little girl with Gran. We would picnic near a big ole' oak tree, I remember we would come in the late autumn before all the leaves had completely changed. Gran would say grace in a different way than regular at the dinner table. She would have me run around the tree three or four times, singing a song that I couldn't recall the words to. There was a gentleman that would meet us there on occasion and he seemed friendly enough.

But in my dream I was babysitting some toddlers who looked all about the age. There was one boy and three little girls dancing around me. They were playing ring around the Rosie, which if you think about it is a quite morbid song. It was supposedly inspired by the Bubonic Plague, yet even though it was sort of a deadly song I taught the children the second verse:

_Ring around the Rosie_

_Pocket full of posies,_

_Ashes, Ashes we all fall down_

_Cows are in the pasture_

_Eating buttercup_

_Ashes, Ashes you all stand up!_

Merrily the children fell to the ground lying still and motionless until the second stanza where they were a riot of giggles and wiggles. I was enjoying myself with the children until I heard Quinn and Eric's voices. They were arguing in the distance and the children stood holding hands in a line with me. I'm not sure why we were standing together in force but it seemed important to the children we stayed united while the men argued. I heard Eric claim that I was his now, which on the surface made me angry but the little girl to my left holding my hand shook her head at me when I spoke about how dare he. She kindly told me to look into my heart, in a soft sing song voice.

If I was honest with myself; I knew Quinn was just using me for sex. I was using Quinn just as much to make Eric jealous. Realizing that was petty of me after the first thoughts of it close to a year ago, I doubled my efforts to really like Quinn for more than just sex. But it was difficult, he could barely hold a decent conversation, he didn't really want to date me and far be it beneath him to actually take me some place other than his fighting rings or his entertainment company. Plus it seemed he couldn't always recall my name and reverting to saying 'Babe' all the time, which made me suspicious that he had someone on the side.

The children started to spin me in a dizzying circle as the conversation faded way into the dream it was. We laughed and spun while Eric talked in the distance, I really didn't pay attention to everything I heard only bits and pieces of it. The children it seemed even in a dream can become tired, and they pulled me into the middle of them again. I sat with for little head nestled against my skirt. Gentle I stroked their foreheads, and brushed away curls from faces. It startled me when I realized they were identical copies of Jason and me as children. Bright blue eyes, pert little noses, and blond curls making halo's above each crown of hair. Asking each child who their parents were, each told me I was their mother and Quinn was their father. Four children! I wanted to run but it seemed I was rooted to the spot.

Before I had a chance to speak with them further, I felt the earth shake beneath my butt. In the distance, Pam was calling me.

* * *

><p>"Sookie, Sookie! It is time to arise! Wake woman!" Pam was shaking me with near earth trembling force when I finally woke from my dream state.<p>

"Ugg, Pam don't shake me so hard I may puke on you if you continue." I sat up on the couch and saw Clancy across the room staring at me intently. I felt like a prey caught in a predator's stare.

"She is glowing Pam!" Clancy erupted from the chair, standing so quickly that it fell over clattering to the floor.

"Yes, she is." Pam said in a slow drawl.

"Umm, thanks for noticing that I am glowing but isn't it expected?" I say in a blanket statement. I was certain if Eric knew I was pregnant then the rest of the Vampire community would know as well. Even though they claim to be all secretive and stuff, they gossip worse than any church going soccer mom in Bon Ton.

Before I could stand up, Clancy was standing directly in front of me passing his hands above me. Stunned I sat there and waited from him to finish. Then Pam did it too.

"Odd, in some fashion it makes my skin itch." Clancy remarked as he pulled his hand away and scratched at the palm.

"It does not itch, meh. It tickles, that is the correct terminology. The tickling is almost a pleasant sensation." Pam had a grin on her face, like one I had never seen before. If passing her hand above my body made her hand tickle and her face smile then I was all for it. But right then something shifted in me and I had to use the bathroom, pronto.

Quickly I stood up and bolted for the room, Pam was ahead of me holding it open. "What is the rush Sookie?"

"I have to pee like right now!" I squirmed around her to exit to the bathroom.

"My, my you smell delicious too! I could almost eat you, dear Sookie." Once again Pam was in front of me this time holding the door open, so I easily navigated getting it to the bathroom while simultaneously hoisting up my skirt to use the rest room.

"I hafta have the door shut to go." I commented from inside the stall. I saw the light shift across the tiles, seeing that the door had actually shut my bladder released. Thinking I was alone, I was a bit startled when I heard Pam's voice from the other side of the stall.

_"Tinkle, Tinkle little girl_

_In the potty it will swirly._

_Round and round and round it goes._

_Where it stops no one knows._

_Tinkle, Tinkle little girl._

_In the potty it will swirl."_

Pam sang it all set to the tune of Twinkle Twinkle little star. After the initial shock of; one someone was in the bathroom with me still and two she actually sang a warped nursery rhyme, I began to laugh. She could be hilarious at times, sometimes I doubted she realized how funny she was by being so serious but other times I wondered if her humor was so twisted and dry that internally she was laughing at her own wit. As I was sitting on the toilet laughing hysterically, it came to me. No matter what happened to me or my pregnancy, I still had family and really good friends that cared about me. Quinn really didn't matter but I would have this baby and he or she would know the love from all our family and friends.

"Thank you Pam for making my day." I said as my laughter died down.

"You are most welcome my glowing little friend." Pam was standing in front of the mirror, looking over her spotless reflection.

"So how much longer until our meeting starts?" I had dropped my purse when Eric crashed into to me; it had my watch and cell phone in it hence my no clue as to what time it was.

"We have roughly an hour until the meeting begins, why?" She sassed from her reflection.

"I'm a bit hungrier than usual. Do you think the kitchen is still open? I just wanted a hamburger and maybe some fries." I stepped in front of the sink and washed my hands thoroughly. I scrubbed my face because I saw there were a few smears of blood from where the pebbles had cut through the skin. Even though it had been closer to two years since the last time I had any of Eric's blood, I still healed remarkably fast.

In the soap dish there was my favorite type of French pressed soap that Gran had given me several years ago for my 15th birthday. The towels hanging on the towel rack were thick cotton that I loved the feel of by I didn't have the funds for. This bathroom was more or less mine because it was in the back and none of the patrons from the bar were allowed back here.

"I will get _human_ food for you if you tell me why you are glowing." Pam studied my reflection in the mirror; well at I guess what would have been my aura.

"I thought you knew why I would be glowing." I answered cautiously. If Pam didn't know I was pregnant, Eric couldn't have known I was preggo by my smell; there was something fishy with his response on the phone a few hours ago. "Do I smell different too?"

"Just more delicious than normal but your glowing is what has my interest most piqued." Pam passed her hand about a foot above my head and then slowly began to lower it until it just hovered above my scalp. "I do not know what you did to yourself but it is definitely fascinating. You are going to be the star at the conference that is for sure."

"What do I look like to you?" I stared at my reflection now, if this pregnancy was going to cause me to be the star, I might have to skip the conference or be in a bubble. I didn't want the entire delegation passing their hands over me.

"You look like a bulb; it is sort of the best way to describe it. In the center of the bulb you can see the string which alights and then the glow which causes the light illuminates the surrounding area. This is what you are; a bulb." Pam's grin had spread into a full smile as her hand finally landed on my skin. "Your skin is warm and pleasant but not overtly so, if I leave my palm on you for too long it feels hot almost too hot." She pulled her hand away from me and I noticed the pallor which normally covered her skin had reverted to an almost human coloration.

"Well in human terms when someone is glowing it means they are pregnant." I was side lined by her expression. At first it was elation and then a frosty core began to surface.

"Quinn impregnated you?" She commented in an icy accusation, to be honest it stung.

"Yes."

"Are you going to keep it?" Pam had tucked her hands behind her back like Eric does when he is about to launch into lecturing mode.

"Sweet Judah of course I am going to keep it, life is precious and I could never end it." In retrospect I just scolded it a good friend and also a really strong vampire about ending a life; which she has done almost on a nightly basis since like the late 17th century. Wow what an open mouth and insert foot situation.

"Hmmm, you said something about _human_ food a hamburger and fries. I will go look after your needs but just so you know hamburger's come from Cows and they were alive before they were killed for your nutritional needs." Pam swiftly walked out of the bathroom before I could say an apology.

* * *

><p>I didn't know what I should do. If I was glowing like Clancy and Pam said it probably was best if I went back to Eric's office and wait. Leaving the bathroom and heading back to Eric's office I heard the mental dredges of someone who was dying.<p>

_Help me, Sweet Jesus, help me. The Lord is my Light and Salvation. I don't want to become an abomination of the night. Take me from this earth and remake me in your form. I was only to bring Sookie Stackhouse to Reverend Newlin for your judgment. Your judgment oh Lord. Jesus I am coming, I see the light. I will walk into the light come dawn, if this creature makes me into his likeness. _

His voice quieted internally in my head and I realized I listened to the last thoughts of a human prior to his becoming a vampire. Somewhere close there was vampire intending on changing this human who had intended me harm. I wasn't sad about the fact that _that_ human life was coming to an end but I was fearful that whoever his maker was going to be needed to have a firm hand or otherwise the attempt of a vampire would be in vain. I added my own prayers, to keep me and my child safe.

* * *

><p>Entering Eric's office Clancy was on the phone on Eric's private line. I narrowed my eyes at him for a second as his conversation fell silent on his side. There was something odd going on with him. After Longshadow had been put to his true death, Clancy showed up and took the old Vampire Indian's place; just like his predecessor I like him least of all the Vampires I knew.<p>

I sat back on the couch and pulled a swath of cloth from behind me. It was Eric's shirt, one of the ones' I had purchased for him while he stayed at my house a few years ago. He must have had someone add the corners to the collar, there would have been no way I would have allowed him to handle silver. Automatically I closed my eyes and pulled the shirt to my face and inhaled, I missed him. His scent used to cling to me. During the middle of a shift, my pony tail would slip across my face as I was scrubbing down a table and I could smell him in my hair. For an instant I wished he would remember our time together on Hummingbird Lane, times were so much nicer; albeit more stressful because of his lack of memory but it was a sweeter time for the two of us.

When I opened my eyes he was standing at the door, I saw his cowboy boots peeking out from under the hem of his faded dark blue jeans, his buckle on his pants was more for decoration than function since there was no way those butt hugging jeans were going anywhere, finally in a white tank top his arms were folded across his chest. I was feeling a little shy after studying his body in great detail, Lord I missed his form.

"Clancy leave us." Eric barked across the room to the Vampire who was standing like a sentinel in the corner. Quietly like a whisper Clancy left the office leaving Eric and I alone. I wanted to scream at the tension so I shifted his attention or tried to shift his attention to Clancy's breach of etiquette by using Eric's phone.

"He was on your private line." I said with less force than I wanted.

"I know, I told him to make plane reservations via text." Eric told me while circling his desk.

"Oh you're going on a trip?" He just nodded while sitting down at his desk. I didn't know what to say. A million thoughts rushed through my head but one stuck. "Pam didn't know I was pregnant but she said I was glowing. So how did you know I was pregnant?"

"I told you earlier on the phone, I smelled you while I was at Bill's home. That was at the beginning of the month, yes you were glowing then as well. Therefore I knew you were pregnant. I am older than Pam by over a thousand years; surely there are things I have learned that I have failed to mention to her. Your current condition causes you particularly to glow because of your lineage." He said absently as he was sorting through a stack of papers in the center of his desk.

"Why didn't you mention my condition to Pam then?" I was still holding Eric's shirt. There was a tear in the elbow and I was wondering where it could have come from.

"I have been extremely busy with the Queen. The last time I spoke with Pam, prior than this evening in person, was roughly three weeks ago. Before then I was on business in Tennessee for a week. Basically I have not seen my prodigy for a month." Eric through about half of the stack of papers in the shredder sitting behind him, his hair had grown out some in the few months since I had seen him last.

"I missed you." I blurted out before I could stop myself. I felt my eyes go wide at my admission.

"Ditto." He said locking eyes with mine. "More than you know."

"I had an odd dream where you claimed me from Quinn. In my dream you told him that I was yours now because his claim had expired." I leaned back into the couch, now I was stroking the fabric of the shirt in a rhythmic pattern. It was soothing and had a calming effect on my fraying emotions.

"It was no dream. Our conversation happened while you were asleep on the couch. You must have overheard the conversation while you slept." His hands were fisted on the desk. "I wish you had not heard our conversation but there is nothing I can do that now. In the supernatural community we have strict guidelines for, ummm a lack of a better word ownership for partners. He has not been near you in over 30 days"

"Who the hell keeps track of his movements or mine? Is it you? Couldn't be because you just told me you haven't been around for like a month. So how do you know when the last time Quinn was here?" I had tossed the shirt to the end of the couch in frustration, plus I didn't want to accidently rip it.

"I asked Bill to monitor your movements as well as Quinn's." Eric had stayed seated but his voice was tight like he was about ready to spring.

"Bill, Bill! You have been having Bill keep an eye on me, what is he your flunky now?" I shouted as I stood up pacing back and forth in front of his desk.

"Basically yes." His fists relaxed as he pressed his palms to the desk. I could see that Eric was relaxing as I became angrier. Which caused me to become even more upset with him.

"You both are assholes. You know that? A person should be able to go about their life without worrying someone is always tracking their movements! I can't believe you are monitoring my love life." I screamed at him. Planting my hands on the desk and leaning into his face, I felt my stomach shift uncomfortably. Obviously the baby didn't like being monitored either.

"Is he really your love life?" Eric quietly asked, he wasn't being condescending but it sounded almost like he was sad. His hands were so close to mine, I could see his skin illuminating by my glow. He must have felt and seen it too.

"No I don't love him. I love you!" I continued to shout. I slapped my hand over my mouth in frustration that I just exposed my heart to him. Straightening away from the desk I turned my back on him and closed my eyes, willing time to stop so I could figure out what to do or say next.

"I am quite pleased you love me. Whereas I am extremely fond of you too, I have not had the human emotion of love in a very long time. But I believe if I remember what love was, then I am in love with you too." Eric was standing in front of me now, pulling my hand away from my face. I kept my eyes shut tight, this must be a dream. But we never touched in my dreams, at least not for a long time. I felt him planted a kiss in the palm of my hand, then began to cover my face in butterfly kisses they were all so light and soft. This couldn't be a dream.

"What about my current condition?" I mumbled through a haze of bliss.

"Current condition?" Eric murmured back and I felt his breath on my cheek.

"I'm pregnant with Quinn's baby." I stepped back from him, opening my eyes, and crossed my arms over my chest. "I will never ever abort a baby, no matter whose it is!"

"I would not ask you to do that." He spanned the distance between us and continued to lay little kisses here and there on my skin. "I do have a proposal for you."

"What is it?" I tilted my head to the side as he licked the side of my neck. "God that feels good." I moaned into his shoulder.

"I want to bond with you." His words were so shocking I doubted cold water could have chilled me to the bone faster.


	6. Chapter 6

EPOV

After my conversation with Niall ended I sat on the roof for a few minutes longer; thinking about possibilities for the future. I was so thrown off my game that he consented too quickly to the bonding that I was trying to see a trap. I thought there was going to have to be some downside to my bonding with Sookie that would give him advantage but from where I was at I could think of no advantages Niall would gain over me when I did successfully bond to Sookie.

The bonding from the sense of a political stand point both Niall and I would benefit by association from the others' supernatural community. Monetarily it would not affect either of us since there was no discussion of a dowry. Socially, it may have a few draw back for me. It was frowned upon, generally, for Vampires to bond with a human. It was not universal knowledge that Sookie was part Fae and I really intended to keep it that way. So I could not sense a trap anywhere from Niall.

I texted Clancy instructing him to schedule an Air Anubis flight for the following evening to Vermont. Since I owned more than half of the shares of the company it should not be difficult in scheduling a private plane for seven. Typically the smaller planes sat up to 20 people. Most of them had a bedroom in the rear, one bathroom for human companions and staff, a small conference room that sat up to 17 people and a galley for refreshments. Typically the underbelly was light tight and only accessible through a hatch under the bed. If a vampire had to die for the day while traveling we had death accommodations for up to 15 vampires comfortably and all 20 if some were willing to double up. We also owned several commercial airplanes as well, mostly they flew cross continental. They had a regular flight pattern with a few routinely scheduled flights over sea's.

Stepping off the side of the building I was aware of an argument in the process. I could hear the terse discussion between Pam and Sookie about her glowing and pregnancy. It was difficult to be upset with either of them. Pam was upset at Sookie because she had mated with Quinn, being my prodigy I would expect no less. Sookie was upset that Pam sounded like she wanted the pregnancy to be aborted which at this point was not going to happen. Women!

I walked into the hallway as Pam was leaving the bathroom. She was angry and I could feel through the bond that she was hurt as well. As much as she constantly claimed she was unaffected by the way humans treated her, it did affect her and by extension me too.

"What was that about?" I directed my question to Pam as I followed her into the kitchen area.

"Your pet wants food." She huffed out as we walked into the prepping area.

"No, your discussion about her pregnancy; why are both of you mad?" I asked in a quiet tone.

"You knew she was pregnant?" She accused.

"Yes, I have for the past month." I raised my eyebrow in an inquistivy manner.

"You could have told me something!" She was looking for a writing device and to go with the pad of paper she just picked up. But she gave me a quick glance and I noticed her fangs were descending.

"There has not been time to discuss it with you due to the Queen's insane wrath. I thought our energies would be better directed at keep one another alive." I hissed at her through my bared fangs.

"You couldn't have sent me a text something like I don't know 'Hey prodigy, the _love of my life_ is knocked up with the tiger's cubs'. Something a little heads up, she believes you knew she was pregnant because of her smell but you knew because of her glow isn't it." She had located a pen and began writing out a quick order. Then she tossed it in the general direction of the cook.

"That as well as her smell, I am much older than you and have not taught you all of my tricks as of yet." I answered just quietly enough for her to hear.

"Oh for Fuck's sake Eric, you could have let me know somehow. Smoke signals, texting, and email. Hell we both have burn phones, you could have used one of them!" Pam was being melodramatic and crude; my two least favorite things about her.

"Do not be so common with your language." I had had enough of her attitude and slang. Her cursing never had bothered me but when she was so common with her speech it infuriated me. Storming out of the kitchen I headed back towards my office. Listening for a conversation or something from Sookie I only could hear her breathing, it sounded odd almost muffled. I ran the short distance to my office door. Looking through the peephole, I saw Clancy on the other side of the room finishing the call. He turned around and stood in the corner staring at the couch. It was the most likely place Sookie would be. Opening the door I saw her face buried in my shirt. Her slight glow light up my office, radiating off of her skin like some bioluminescence organism. Suddenly the situation did not seem as grim as a few seconds before hand.

I watched her shoulders relax as she inhaled; she rubbed the fabric over her face unwarily coating her body in my scent this would further my claim to her, and I listened as her breathing became slightly erratic. As she lifted her head from my shirt, I watched her glaze travel the length of my body; ending short of my face.

I told Clancy to leave and went to my desk to give me an anchor and some distance between me and the object of my desire.

Our conversation thereafter was brief but rather poignant when it came to how we differed in getting what we wanted and how we both were in love with one another. My ultimate love is the gift of bonding and when I offered it to her well she physically stepped away from me; something I was expecting but not completely prepared for.

Sookie was standing away from me looking like a deer caught in the head lights of my corvette. I had not intended to tell her directly that I wanted to bond with her yet here we were. When I told her, it was felt like I was being compelled to speak my heart. As she had done earlier I want to slap my hand over my mouth but I figured that would seem a little less refined if I had done it.

Cautiously I moved around her and went over to the couch, separating us even further. "Sookie I know you wished I could have stayed as I was when the witch cast her spell over me. Honestly, I would never have survived the year if I had stayed so juvenile. I am very happy you were able to come to care for me during that time and by extension thereafter. Yet you must understand in order for me to protect myself and all that I value; people- humans and vampires alike, property, and my ranking in the Vampire hierarchy that I could not stay that innocent."

I sat on the couch as I watched Sookie mull over what I had told her. "Eric if we were to bond, and I'm not saying I will, but if we were how would that work? Where would I or you live? I'm not a complete night person and you very well can't go out in the day. I just don't think it would work." She said as she sat in the chair Clancy previously occupied.

"True, I could not go outside with you during the day but I am partly functional as long as I stay out of the sun. As far as you being a night person, I believe we could still make do with the time we had together. My understanding of most marriages; spouses still have to work and therefore cannot spend every waking minute together." I smiled at her then.

"Yes, well." She coughed slightly into her fist. "You didn't answer where either of us would live."

"Where ever you wished would be my vote." I knew I had her on the run at this point. "I would love to show you my home and I already know what your house looks like; both have accommodations for both of us. Yet there are more pressing matter than where we would rest." I knew I had better tell her of speaking with her grandfather. "I spoke with Naill tonight."

"Is he sick?" She asked leaping to her feet.

"I do not believe so. When we spoke I asked him to bond with you?" I was prepared this time for her anger.

"You DID WHAT!" Sookie screeched from the tips of her toes. Then equally as loudly, "THAT IS SO ROMANTIC!"

"What did you just say?" I sat there dumbfounded.

"I said that is so romantic. Which I had no intention of saying, I really want to be terribly angry with you because of your high handedness but there is something wonky going on with me." Sookie had a blank expression on her face for a moment and then she arched her eyebrow at me almost in a confused look. "Have you ever heard of a Fae conversing with their offspring before they are born? Like in dreams and such?"

"Well, I have not conversed with many Fae other than your cousins, at a distance, your Grandfather, a few times by phone, and you. Hence I could not accurately inform you one way or the other." I thought about the situation for a few minutes as she did. "Do you believe the child is the cause of speaking what is in your heart?"

"It is funny you put it like that. I dreamt that I was in a field near my home, it is a place Gran and I went when I was really young, but I could hear you arguing with Quinn. I could hear both side of the argument, were you on speaker phone?" She stood up and went to the phone on my desk pushing buttons; trying in vain to get the phone to go to speaker.

"No, I was on my cell phone; it is on the lowest volume setting. I do not want other's hearing my conversations, but you did." I pulled out my cell phone and showed her the setting for the volume.

"Yep, that is weird." She shrugged her shoulders, walked the few paces to my side, and took my phone. "Anyhow there were several kids and I playing children games when we heard the arguing. The children and I took hands, listening together. When I heard you say you were claiming me as 'Mine'," She made air quotes with her fingers. It was very annoying. "I was pissed by your presumptions."

"Sookie, I do not mean to presume anything but his claim has expired any supernatural being could come along claiming you. You are unique and quite valuable especially in your condition." I tried catching her eye but she was scrolling through my texts with Pam, there was a reason both Pam and I had burn phones. If some our texted conversations landed in the wrong hands we both could have been put to our true death.

"Eric sometimes it would be best if you kept your opinions to yourself," She emphasized her point by flipping my phone shut an tossing it back in my lap. "Your explanations don't always soothe me. Back to my dream, the little girl touched my heart and told me to look into my heart. So you asking me what my heart's desire is; was a similar way of saying the same thing the little girl had said."

"Do you think the child in your womb is communicating with you?" The prospect of her being able to communicate with the children was thrilling and frightening at the same time. It worried me their allegiance to their biological father could sway Sookie's feelings when bonding with me.

"It seems she is doing more than communicating, it is like she has taken over my conscious."

"That must suck. So you can not lie any longer?" I could not keep the smile off my face. If she had to tell me the truth because of the child that seemed to be controlling her honest feelings, finally I could get some straight answers from her.

"I never lie, well unless it is to hide something that I don't want you to know." Again she slapped her hand across her mouth.

"When was the first time you realized you were attracted to me?" Yes, I knew I was being an ass but I wanted to see how far I could push her limits.

"When you dressed up in the pink spandex outfit and helped me out. That was the first time I realized I had a very strong attraction to you." Her smile had gone soft and reminiscent.

I had other questions for her but Pam interrupted our conversation by knocking at the door with food for Sookie. Opening the door for Pam, I nodded to the desk indicating where she could drop the food off at.

"Here are your fries with hamburger." Pam dropped the plate on my desk with a resounding thump. "What?"

Both Sookie and I were staring at her. I needed to get both women back to my home so we could talk openly about what was going on. Sookie recovered with the aroma of food luring her from staring.

"Pamela, how much longer until the meeting is to begins?" I could see the clock on the wall but right then I could not make sense of the numbers.

"We have 30 minutes until everyone should be here." She glanced at the Tiffany watch I bought her last year for her death day.

"Begin ushering the remaining humans out of the bar. We will be having a brief meeting. I have printed out the schedules everyone needs to attend to while we are gone." I glanced at Sookie whom had begun to devour the food on her plate with such speed I was worried for an instant she may choke. "I will need you to be at my home 2 hours prior to dawn so we may discuss certain matters. For lack of a better term, Family Matters."

She quirked her eyebrow at me and fisted her hand on her hip. I knew this stance well enough, it was a defiant stance, and she loved to challenge me at times. "I have plans."

"Cancel them." I crossed my arms across my chest

"They were really hot plans." She fisted her other hand and also planted it on her hip.

"Cancel them anyhow." I said slowly.

"But I have been waiting for you to come back so I could play." She pouted, her fist fell off her hip and her lip began.

"As your maker, I command you to be at my home no later than 3 this morning."

"You took away an hour." She screeched.

"Do you want to just come home with me and Sookie?" I answered mildly.

"Oh, she's spending the night too?" Pam leered at Sookie.

"Yes, like I said we need to discuss family matters." I left no room for argument or further talk, pointing to the door she remembered my first request to eliminate the bar of any remaining humans.

"Does she always back sass you like that?" Sookie said with two fries poised in front of her mouth.

"Not generally." I scrubbed the palms of hands against my forehead.

"Gran used to whip us when we did any sassing. I hated it but I totally understand how annoying it is to have people sass you, especially people who are supposed to love and support you." She said through a full mouth of masticated potatoes.

"True. I have a bit of paperwork to go over in the next half an hour. Would you mind?" I passed my hand over a stack of papers I deemed as save for later pile. Then I sat behind the desk and booted up the computer.

"Ah, no." She said as she began looking around the office. "Umh, Eric when I went crashing into the ground did you happen to see my purse?"

"Yes, I believe Thalia had brought it in. Did you need something out of it?" I had already inputted four invoices into the computer. Then I remember I had sent Thalia out with Sookie's car to destroy it. Perhaps her purse would ignite in the crash as well.

"Well, Jason is staying at my house tonight. He is fighting with his wife." She was bent over with her ass in the air in the most delicious way. Searching under the couch in vain she turned around just in time to see me finish typing the latest invoice into the electronic device.

"What did you call his wife last time I saw you?" I grinned because the nick name she had given her sister in law was not kind but incredible funny.

"Crystal Meth." Sookie said blushing furiously. She stood up and brushed imaginary dirt off of her knees.

I laughed as my fingers flew across the keyboard. "If you need to speak with Jason please use my cell phone or the office phone. I also need to speak with him. But first are you going to bond with me?" I knew my question at the end was going to throw her off but I wanted to see if she would respond the way I wished for.

"Yes, I am going to bond with you. Since I can't seem to fib even a little but just so you know this is under protest." Sookie picked up the office phone and dialed. "Hey Jason, how's it going?"

"Not too good Sookie, I was just abjured from my pack." Jason's voice was coming through loud and slurred.

"Ah, Jase that is terrible." Sookie must not have felt compelled to tell the truth to her brother because she was grinning ear to ear when she responded.

"Yeah, so can I crash here for a couple of days because of shifter law Crystal somehow weaseled the family house away from me." He burst into tears afterwards.

"Sookie ask him if he would like to take a trip with us." I quietly told her. "He needs to be present for the bonding, like a witness to a wedding. Also, I would like him-"

She placed her hand over the receiver and cut me off, "He isn't going to watch us have sex!"

"I concur that will not happen but he needs to be witness for both ceremonies and that both of us came willing to the bonding ceremony. Your grandfather cannot be there so it falls to your next of kin to be witness."

"Ugg, damn supernatural's always ruining my day!" Jason hollered over the receiver.

"You don't know the half of it Jase. Look Eric and I are going on a trip, we were wanting to know if you would like to join us?" Sookie asked halfheartedly.

"Where you going?" Jason asked.

"Vermont." I automatically responded.

"We are heading up to Vermont prior to going to Rhodes for the conference." Sookie shrugged her shoulders as if she was not quite sure about the plans. I just nodded my head in agreement. That is when her eyebrows touched her hairline. I believe it was when she finally realized the ramifications to bonding or the possibility she just filter that I said both ceremonies. Yet bonding was a marriage you could never get divorced from. And Vermont was the only state where Vampires and Humans could legally get married by human law.

She ended her conversation with Jason on the promise that he would be at the airport tomorrow night at 6 pm. I had received the confirmation from Air Anubis, while inputting my invoices from the last month, we had our flight plan filed. The airline consequently had one of the smaller jets in the area and would be ready to take us to Vermont; boarding began at sunset. It was scheduled for up to 15 Vampires and 4 human companions. The flight was to leave at 7pm giving us plenty of time to be in the air and make it to Vermont with no layovers or the necessity to die for the day aboard.

"So when were you going to ask for me to marry you?" Sookie looked pale as she asked.

"I was planning on doing it this evening when we arrived at my home. It was the family matter that I wanted to discuss with Pam and yourself." I answered as I surfed the web for places to stay in Vermont. There was a Corvette museum that I wanted to check out but that could wait until we arrived.

"Can you even look at me when we have a life changing conversation?" Sookie said a little stuffy nosed.

"Of course we can." When I looked up I realized she had tears streaming down her face. "Why are you crying?"

"Hormones, or it could be I am frustrated with you for just assuming I'm gonna bond and marry you." With the back of her hand she brushed away the tears.

"Sookie, there are eyes and ears in this building I cannot always control. I would prefer for us to have this conversation where there is much more privacy. Please." I tried to use the magic word. It was truly magic because when I used it for Sookie typically she gave into my wishes as was the case right then.

"When we arrive at your house and not a moment longer." Sookie tried to brush the tears away, they looked like brown topaz gemstones. I stepped around the corner of my desk and brushed a tear away on my thumb. It sparkled on the tip of my digit. Without much thought I popped it into my mouth.

I felt dizzy the instant the nectar went into my mouth. I could not focus and struggled for reality. If this was what true Fae tasted like, no wonder some Vampires went insane for their taste.

"Eric, Eric!" Sookie was shaking me. "Eric! Stop whatever you are doing!"

"I am just standing here." I looked at her in a haze, she was a blazing. It looked like she was on fire.

"Eric you have rays of light shooting out of your fingertips." She was in nearly hysterical, shaking me so hard. Finally the haze of light dimmed and I could see her regularly.

"Well that was unexpected." I said as blandly as possible, although if my heart still beat I am sure it would have been thrumming; loudly.

"Unexpected, yeah that is exactly what that was. If that happens when you just taste a tear what is going to happen when we bond and the exchange of bond? Are you going to explode like a star or what?" She was running her hand over my chest as she held my right hand. I doubted she knew how good it felt just to be touched by her.

"We have just a few minutes until the meeting beginnings. I will have to tell everyone that you are mine, if not the claim could be challenged." I told her, I needed to be equally truthful with her; the child within her was affecting me as well it seemed.

"Are you going to say anything about me being pregnant?" Sookie's hand had stilled on my sternum.

"I think I will mention it in passing. But please do not take offense how I chose to tell them." I rubbed my free hand up and down her arm. It felt like I was touching a furnace. I wanted to pull my hand away but some instinct told me I was not going to burst into flames if I left my hand there.

Once again Pam knocking on the door brought both of us back to reality. She poked her head in the room. "Maker everything is ready for the meeting. The only one who is not back yet is Thalia. But she should be here soon."

"Fine, we will be there in a minute." I told her waving my hand in dismissal. After the door was closed again; I leaned into Sookie and kissed her. It was something I had dreamt about in my daily death, several times over. Her mouth was small, soft, wet and incredible hot. The kiss I do not doubt could have been in the top ten most romantic kisses I have ever been given. By the end of it she was visibly shaking with need, if I was being honest with myself I was doing all in my power to make sure my physical arousal was not showing too.

"We better get to the meeting before we go any further, my love." I took her hand that was fisted into my shirt and gently tugged it away. Caressing her knuckles with my hand I completed several little circles before clasping our hands together.

"Okay but we are mating right after our family talk." Sookie said heading for the meeting.

"No, we are not. Mating is for animals, we will make love." I answered as I took the lead through the door.


	7. Chapter 7

SPOV

As Eric left the office ahead of me, I thought about all the difference between Quinn and Eric. I was fooled so badly by Quinn in the beginning, he sort of just swept me off my feet for a few weeks and then I was let down with a crash afterwards. He never physically abused me but towards the end of our relationship, if you even really call it that, he would just stop by for mating. Eric was definitely different in that aspect, even though we hadn't been together since he had regained his memory; our intercourse was absolutely defined as love making the handful of times we were together. He always took time to cuddle, stroke me gently, bring me to peak and then we would couple. I had better put a stop to this line of thinking before I made myself too hot and bothered to continue normally for the night.

Walking through the door of the Vampire Powder Room, I am stunned at the transformation of the room. The candle light I was so accustom to had been extinguished and there must have been a switch on the wall somewhere because to overhead lighting I had never noticed before because of the sashes hanging over head, more than likely camouflage for the harsh fluorescent lighting which lite the room currently . The usual scattering of lounge chairs around the room had been rearranged into rows with two to three vampires facing the front where Eric walked to. The wall hangings of red silk were gone, as if they vanish in the light; the walls were left bare and a dark chocolate brown. Eric took his place at a podium in the front of the room which would seem more fitting in a corporate situation. Then I remembered area five was basically a fiefdom; a very lucrative fiefdom.

Glancing around the room it was packed with close to thirty Vampires; and I was the only human there. Funny this used to make me nervous but as the years went by I was unconditionally more comfortable with the supernatural communities than the human population. Since I could listen in on the humans I knew exactly where I stood with them; typically I stood in the road with a big hit me sign stapled to my chest and a big ole emotional Semi heading straight at me. Shrugging off the idea of human thoughts I let my eyes adjust to the harsh light and look for any familiar faces.

I notice Pam sitting in the front row with Bill, whom looked like he had just feed- gross. Most of the others I had met in passing but really wouldn't have considered going to sit next to any of them. Then I see Clancy waving his hand, urging me to sit with him. I give my head a little shake, after his hands groping the air above my body I just felt a little creepy sitting next to the big guy. But he doesn't take my shake off that easily. Standing from his lounge chair he walks at vampire speed towards me, I barely have a chance to blink and he is right in front of me blocking my view of the room. For the first time in a long time, I regret coming to a vampire function. Then he makes me feel even more terrible by grabbing my hand, and squeezing it. I must have let out a squeak because I heard Eric in the seconds afterwards.

"Clancy, she is Mine!" He growled in the most feral way. I knew he wasn't angry with me but I placed my free hand protectively against my stomach and centered myself.

"I was only going to lead her to the dais, Sheriff. I had not known you were claiming her." Clancy said in almost a challenging tone; which wasn't a bright idea on his behalf. Yet he didn't let go of my hand, in fact he squeezed it a little harder. I stifled another sound from passing across my lips. But I think Eric could see the pain cross my face.

"Release my betrothed." Eric's voice had become quite soft; enough so I could hear my own breathing which sounded ragged even to my ears. Clancy dropped my hand and bared his fangs at Eric. I may be blonde but I was smart enough to run in the opposite direction of those fangs. Thankfully, a small little vampire who was the only person in the room smaller than me circled me in her arms as Eric and Clancy did battle.

I didn't want Clancy to go to his final death but I knew voicing my opinion at that point would make this worse for Clancy and me both. I heard ripping and snarling. Then Eric told someone to 'Go' in a harsh tone. I raised my head from the little arms that encompassed me. When I looked in the face of the woman, I realized the small vampire couldn't have been more than 14 or 15 when she was turned. My 'glowing' affected her in a positive way and she looked soft and warm. Without a thought in my head, I reached out and touched the side of her face. She was warm and felt for an instant alive.

Snapping back to reality, I realized most of the room was watching us. It seemed too intimate for two women to be touching like we were, so I straightened away from her. Eric was standing behind me and wrapped his arms around my shoulders. I couldn't see his expression on his face but I could tell by his stance that he was very tense still. Hoping to relax him some I sagged back against his chest.

"No one else is allowed to touch what is mine." Eric said not so gentle.

The little girl standing before Eric had much more sense than Clancy and nodded her head. I stayed within the shelter of Eric's arms for a few more seconds. And thought defiantly, 'What if I want to touch someone?' But I kept my lips tightly pressed together and hoped the thoughts weren't my own but rather that of the child which seemed to be doing odd things to my emotions and words.

Eric swept me in his arms unexpectedly and travelled to the front of the room. Bill was booted to the back when Eric ordered him to give up his seat for me. Even I knew it was some sort of dressing down to give up your seat to a human, even though it was me and this was Bill. I really didn't care if Bill got shamed in front of everyone because of his treatment of me when we first met, karma is a bitch sometimes.

"So the meeting shall begin." Eric stood behind the podium with flash cards in his hands. It would have been humorous if not for the mini battle a few minutes before. "Since the Queen has limited our group to six Vampires from each Area. I have decided that Pam, Bill, Thalia, Destiny, and I are going to represent area Five. Bill has to go because of his computer program. He will be roomed with his prodigy. Thalia will be in charge of security. Destiny will be there as a guest of area five. They will be in a room together. I will be there with Pam as representatives for our area. We will room together."

Eric took a break from his speech and looked around the room. There were several head motionless but most vampires knew who was going and the only surprise was the vampire named Destiny. I had never heard of her and from the look on Pam's face I wasn't too sure if she knew this particular vampire either. I had never met Thalia but I had heard she was one of the most ferocious warriors ever. I looked around the room and wondered who Destiny was and if Thalia was in the room too.

"In our absence, Marten will be in charge of area for the next three weeks. I will be travelling out of state on personal matters for the next two weeks. Everyone I named will be accompanying me. I will be going to Vermont and can be reached via cell phone or email." Eric directed his comments to an older looking vampire in the second row back. He had a pompous look about him but I doubted the old vamp would be alive upon our return, he just looked wrong for the job in some way.

The room was deathly silent. I wanted to crack a smile at that thought, deathly silent. Of course it was deathly silent; I was in a room with a bunch of vampires. I did smile then. Eric must have taken that as encouragement.

"Sookie is knocked up via the Tiger." Eric wasn't smiling but a grim line was on his face. I'm sure my face, after that sentence, mirrored his in a nice grim line.

He had warned me, he told me not to take offense when he told the other vampires I am pregnant. But really he could have used a bit of tack and decorum instead of just blurting it out like that.

"I believe Dear Abby would have said she is with child, Master." Pam said thoughtfully. I look over at her and the corners of her mouth are turned up in a smile, I think is trying to earn brownie points with me at this point. I really doubt she reads Dear Abby, but that is what I would prefer him to have said.

"Is that why she is glowing?" The young woman asked in a childlike voice from the back. Her face was still more human than vampire and I wondered how long my afterglow would last on her. Oh, my goodness that was a bad association, afterglow was definitely not the thoughts that came to mind when thinking of how I became pregnant.

"I believe it is why she is glowing; I have only seen it in a handful of shifter pregnancies." Eric was holding back something. Once again I held my tongue but I really wanted to confront him about a few things.

A few more comments and concerns mostly they were voice about why Bill's prodigy was going and not a high ranking vampire. I was caught off guard by the line of the questions because Bill didn't have any children. Looking over my shoulder I studied him for a minute and remembered he was extremely neat when he suckled, hardly making any unnecessary wounds. The way he was covered in blood, it was disgusting and that was when it hit me he became a maker tonight. The man I heard earlier this evening being made into Vampire, it was Bill's doing.

Of all the disgusting things I could think of in that instant came to surface, "Bill Compton, you swore up and down you would never become a maker. What happened to you?" I accusced from my seat next to Pam.

"Sookie, there are politics which effect my life daily. I do what I must in order to survive." Bill answered in his droll way.

"You disgust me!" I said leaping from my seat and ran back to Eric's office.

The young woman followed me into the office. We hadn't been introduced but I really didn't care at that point. I just wanted a good cry, these hormones were out of control and I needed to release the pressure that was building in.

"Would you mine leaving for a few seconds?" I gasped between sobs.

"I am sorry but Eric told me to come with you." The petite vampire answered politely.

"Out!" I screamed at her.

The force I vocalized caused her to take a step back but once she regained her balance, she gently shook her head. At least she had the decency to lower her eyes as I wept copious amounts onto Eric's shirt. I buried my face in the fabric and willed myself back to sleep.

* * *

><p>EPOV<p>

After Sookie screamed at both Bill and Thalia there was very little left to deal with. Most of the Vampires in the room were fascinated with Sookie. That was not my intention when I ordered to the meeting. I dismissed everyone except for Bill. Pam had an hour of feeding time before she needed to be at my house.

"You have the site picked out?" I asked Bill as we descended into the basement. As we passed my office I heard Sookie continuing to sob.

"Yes," Bill answered tersely. "I will have to explain to her why I did this. She will never forgive me."

"She does not need to give her forgiveness nor does she need to know why you became a maker." I replied just as tersely. "It is best for her to be sheltered from some of our politics."

We were just outside the door where Bill drained and gave his blood back to the Fellowship of the Sun boy. I had to help Bill get to ground with his new prodigy. I knew Bill's aversion to becoming a maker. Most Vampires either loved to have a multitude of prodigies like Queen Sophie-Anne or they never wished to become a maker like Bill. Yet there were times when Vampire's minds were swayed by either loneliness, grief, or attempting to break bonds.

"Did you get his name?" Bill asked.

"I did, his name is Sean O'Riley. But as you know, you must command him to change his name." I opened the door and saw the lump on the gurney. "Ever since the council decided we were going to come out of the closet, it became law to put in a prerequisite for makers and their 'to be' children. I think in this instance we can bypass the law."

"Yes I heard you had ties with the council but I could never confirm it until I saw the Yenchi here tonight." Bill answered as he went to release his prodigy from the nylon bindings still holding the bloody lump to the table. "You really think this was a good idea."

"Not completely but it seems to have released you from the magistrates blood binding. Did you text him informing him the Yenchi was here?" I asked mildly.

"No, when I saw the Yenchi here I realized it was definitely time to pick a side, a winning side for once." Bill tried to smooth over a piece of flesh that was hanging literally by a thread. "Ugg, I hope he heals well during the day. Otherwise I just created a monster."

"Well Bill if he is half as bright as Bubba then you will not have any trouble controlling him." I stood back and watched as Bill readied his lump for the move. "Where did you pick?"

"There is a spot Sookie used to speak of frequently, it is in the woods near both our property. I believe the actual land is mine but Sookie swears it is one her side of the property line. Either way I wanted to go there." Bill gathered the remains of the man into a gunny sack and threw it over his shoulder. "I'll meet you at my house and if you could help me go to ground that would be pleasant."

I knew how much Bill hated to go to ground, just about as much as Pam did. There were times when going to ground was the choice between life and death. Tonight would not be a choice of death but rather living in just a different form for the young man Sean O'Riley.


	8. Chapter 8

Sorry for the lapse last weekend. My brother was married in another state and I was focused on family. This weekend my sister left me her three dogs to deal with; literally there is a deaf one, blind one and one too stupid to understand a sit command the two other dogs do. Hopefully this will settle everyone out for the week. I will hopefully get this day finished in the next chapter. I was going to wait until I had finished the day but I wasn't quite ready to complete it.

Cheers~ donael

* * *

><p>Most character's belong to Charlene Harris.<p>

* * *

><p>Sookie was sleeping when I returned to my office. Thalia sat in front of the couch on her knees passing her hand in the air above my beloved. I watched through the peep hole for a few seconds prior to entering the office. The mirror which Clancy had stood in front of just a few hours ago was now not obscured allowing me accessible viewing of the entire room. As I watched, Thalia would pass her hand over Sookie's, for a lack of a better term, glowing and then pull it back in wonder as her than gained color only to fade back to the pale chalky coloration most vampires had. Once her hand was completely uncolored again she would recharge the illusion with another pass through the glow.<p>

I understood her fascination with Sookie, mine own had been fueled for close to four years now, but Thalia was pushing a boundary by being in such close proximity with my intended. Standing back from the door for a brief moment to gain my composure, I took a deep cleansing breathe. I realize I have no need to breath but doing this action does tend to clear my head and return me to my, what Sookie would call my, Sherriff mode.

Opening the door Thalia springs into a crouching position ready to defend Sookie it seems. Her action does not catch me off guard completely, yet it does surprise me.

"Would you attack your own Sherriff, Thalia?" I ask as I walk to my desk and begin to gather a few possessions I will need to review in the week prior to going to the conference.

"Sherriff, You told me to protect the woman. I am following your directives." She answers as she stands erect near the couch, her hands now shielded from my view are hidden behind her back, and her feet are still planted firmly on the ground from whence they sprang.

"I think you are playing with fire, cousin." I had gathered what I need for the summit and had located a black leather backpack Pam had purchased for me on Dracula's birthday. It was in the opposite corner from where the couch sat. Crossing the room, her statement made me stop in my tracks.

"She is Fae."

It was definitely more of a statement than a question. Thalia was almost as old as I, she could have pieced together the rumors of Sookie's abilities. As well as the fact the woman lying on the couch had a glow like a 25 watt light bulb lent the vital information to link Sookie's heritage. Or it could have been a lucky guess. Either way, Thalia should not have spoken the statement.

"Pardon me?" I inquired spinning on my heels to face her. Pulling my shoulders back to gain my full height I stood well over a foot and a half taller than her.

"The glowing is unique to the Fae. You and I both know this Eric. She has to be, what, Sky Fae?" Her eyes locked with mine.

"Thalia, step away from Sookie. Go stand near my desk." I ordered her away. Thinking furiously about what was happening it dawned on me that she was most likely being influenced by the child within Sookie. If the babe could affect me to tell the truth or at least more truth than I was accustom. Then it was plausible it would affect other vampires as well. "Thalia, I want to try something. Would you be willing to do a test of sorts?"

She nodded her head warily; I would have as well if we had been in opposite places. "Of course, Sherriff." She squirmed a little under my scrutiny.

"I want you to lie to me about who your maker is." I told her over my shoulder as I retrieved the bag from the corner.

"You know who my maker is; you were there the night I was made." She stated in obvious confusion. "How can this be a type of a test?"

"The type of test only I know the answer to." I said brusquely as I put the paperwork into the bag.

"Fine my maker is Queen Sophie-Anne and her sire was Clancy." Her eyes were a flat black and she was as chalky in color as me.

"Interesting association." I commented. "Now return to the couch and continue as you were prior to my arrival in the room."

Cautiously she returned to the sit in front of the couch but she did not pass her hands over the space above Sookie. She sat on the floor cross legged, staring at me.

"Pass your hands above her, like you were." I arched my eyebrow at her in a knowing way. She locked her jaw and she squinted her eyes at me, if fire could have leapt from her eyes it would have.

"As you command," Thalia answered glumly. She turned and knelt, passing her hand in the empty space above Sookies hair. Her sharp intake of air caught my attention.

"How does that feel?" I asked truly curious about her reaction to the illusion and sensation.

Thalia's eyes crinkled at the corners as if she were smiling internally. Her hand and part of her arm were human like again. "It feels like a warm spring breeze is caressing my hand after a long hard cold winter. My village would be terribly cold during the winter, you remember it don't you Eric. We are both from the same area. As a child I would go into the meadow and spin in circles until I was dizzy; only to fall into the grain and take a nap in the fading afternoon light. Once there was a young man who found me asleep on his father's grain. He woke me with a kiss and promises of more if I meet him later that night. Then, I lacked the courage to leave my father's house at night; there were too many stories of wolf attacks. It took three more years for me to build up the nerve to leave my father's home past sunset." Her eyes were closed and even though she only held one hand over Sookie's body, Thalia had completely regained the illusion of her humanity over her entire body.

"Now for the second part of the test; lie to me about who your maker is." I told her and watch for any emotion to cross her face. Almost instantly her face looked young, naïve, and completely distressed.

"I wish I could lie to you Eric, but the only name that will come to mind is Jeanette Fresca." Her eyes were bright and for the first time in nearly a millennium I saw the golden flecks peek from her eyes.

"Try lying about how our makers are connected." I suggested.

"Appius and Jeanette shared a maker, they were brother and sister." Red tears glistened in the corners of her eyes in frustration.

"I told you to lie to me not tell me what I already knew!" I snipped at her as my fangs began to descend.

"I think your intended's Fae ancestry is coming through somehow." Thalia stood so quickly it was blur even to me.

"Yes, I would agree. If she can make our race only tell the truth when she is in contact with them it will be an asset to us in Rhodes. On the flip side it will be a liability for us if we also come into contact with her. It will be your responsibility to keep her safe on our journey."

Thalia nodded, and took an extra step away from Sookie. "Sherriff I must go feed prior to dying for the day. I suddenly am more hungry than normal." As quickly as the coloration came on it was equally as quick replaced with her typical chalky appearance, the drastic change make her look more lethal than normal. This lethalness was what I was accustom and more comfortable with.

"Meet me at dusk at the airport you will be travelling on the same flight as us. Keep her safe from other Vampires when I am unable and gain the most information you can from everyone who comes into contact with her glow." I slung the back pack over my shoulder as she began to leave the office. "Leave the door open, I am following you out."

I stepped over to Sookie's side and gathered her in my arms. This was rapidly becoming my favorite way to hold her. She was quiet, calm, and responsive to my touch and most importantly she did not argue with me. Sookie nuzzled my chest in her unconscious state. Walking through the door with her in my arms, I noticed I was completely alone with her for the first time in close to two years.

"I can make you happy, just give me a chance." I gave her a kiss on the forehead as I swiftly transported her to my car.


	9. Chapter 9

I was trying to avoid some of the larger pot holes. Two years ago, after my 'stay' at her house Bobby was supposed to oversee to the repairs I had wanted completed. Obviously he had failed in his efforts because I doubted the drive could be this terrible after two winters. I wonder what he did with the cash I gave him for the expenses. Sookie slept the length of the car ride to Bon Ton; it was not shocking when she awoke as we drove down her driveway.

"Eric, what are we doing at my house?" She asked still half asleep. "I thought we would be staying at your house. You told Pam to meet us there for the family talk."

"We have to make a detour prior to that." I grunted as we hit a particularly deep hole. In the lack of artificial light her radiance had softened more to a candle light glow; warm and definitely inviting. My hand snaked away from the steering wheel and stroked her face gently. "I have missed you greatly over the last two years."

"Wow and I can completely believe that because you're not able to lie!" She huffed out in a fit of laughter. She patted her stomach for a second. Then her head snapped up sharply. "Kill the lights, Jason is a pretty light sleeper and I don't want to have to deal with him right now. He was pretty drunk on the phone and I doubt he is sober yet."

"Were there things you need to gather for our trip? I must attend to Bill and his prodigy." We had finally made it to an area I deemed acceptable to leave my Corvette, it seemed to be one of the only level spots because Jason's huge truck was parked here too.

"Well I had already packed a bag for Rhodes so probably I should grab that." Sookie stretched and yawned at the same time, it was attractive on so many levels.

"If you want to get it I will be on the back side of the property." I said while pointing to a spot just north east of her house.

"Why isn't Bill going to ground in the grave yard? He has done it before." Sookie's gaze was locked in the direction I pointed. "He doesn't even own that land, I do. And I'll be double damned if he is going to become a maker on my property."

She had bounded from the car with such speed I could not fully attest to her human lineage. "Sookie, wait I do not doubt your ownership to the land but Bill's, Ummh, prodigy is more of a meat puppet at his point. He had some difficulty dying."

"Yeah, so I heard." She remarked rather flippantly. "I think I would've had a difficult time too with Bills' fangs draining my life force straight out of my body." She snipped at me over her shoulder as she increased her speed.

The foliage opened into a wide clearing with a single barren old oak tree standing in the center of a lush green circle. It was early fall and all the leaves on the surrounding trees were still attached; I knew my grass had ceased grown and had begun to turn brown so it struck me odd that the grass here was still green. The lack of leaves on the oak compounded the magical feel of the place. I could smell the Fae in the air and knew this would not be an ideal area to go to ground for the night.

Bill was standing over his shallow grave; typically younger Vampires did not know there was a proper depth for becoming a maker. Yet Bill should have been old enough to know the 9 foot depth was required for the proper creation to occur. Lorena was never one for neither rules nor propriety when it came to the vampire norms so I doubt she would have passed this information along.

"What in the name of Sweet Judah do you think you are doing William Thomas Compton?" Sookies' voice shattered the calm of the night sending a flock of birds screeching into the sky.

"Sookie do not come another step. I do not wish for you to look up my child until he has healed." Swiftly Bill approached her. He was close enough for me to see his skin begin to pinking.

"Uhmm, Bill why did you not go to the proper depth for creating?" I asked in my most innocent voice.

"Because I do not care if I truly become a maker." He eyes widened for a split second but it was not enough time for him to recover before I ask my next question.

"Why did you choose this spot to go to ground then?"

"It has the strongest smell of Fae, I thought if I went to ground here I could catch and drain Sookie's grandfather Niall." He shook his head as if to clear whatever ailed him into telling the truth. "I mean to say Walker Evans wants him dead and I thought I could accomplish that for him."

"You what?" Sookie yelled at him before her hand struck across the traitors face. In her palms' absence I could see a vivid red mark slashing across his face.

"Who have you been really spying for, in order please Bill." I asked casually.

"At first it was Queen Sophie-Anne and then I did spy for the Magistrate. You know he really has it out for you Eric. But I was in a blood bound contract with him for Judith's life. Yet she was put to the true death over two months ago."

"And now?" I prompted, while holding Sookie's arms back from slapping him again. I did not want Bill's flow of concentration to be interrupted.

"Walker Evans has been paying me handsomely to keep tabs on Sookie and any other Fae that cross her path."

"Did the Magistrate come and see Sookie a few days ago?"

"No, it was Walker."

"How does Quinn fit into all of this?" Sookie stiffened in my arms as she began to understand the flow of the conversation.

"I have not been privy to that information." Bill answered somewhat too smug for my liking.

"Why have you stayed in my area and continued to give me information." I kept ahold of Sookie but instead of holding her arms down to strike Bill, I wrapped my arms around her for protection.

"Because some of it has been planted to send you rushing off on false leads but just enough of it has been true so. I have always given you just enough information for you to continually trust me." He laughed at his own wittiness.

"That is where you are wrong. I have never fully trusted you." I was pivoting Sookie way from Bill, I had gathered what information I needed and her glow was unnecessary at this point.

Sookie broke through our dialogue, "Did you ever care for me?" She asked sagging into more heavily into my chest, I think she knew the answer before the words even left her mouth.

"Yes, a great deal." He answered but the way he said it made me suspicious. She cocked her head as if to hear him better.

"How did you care for her?" I inquired tilting Sookies glow to catch the edge of Bill's hands.

"I cared if I had your favor because that gave me an in with the Queen and I cared for your blood afterwards because it is so delicious." Bills fangs snapped down with a punctuating click.

I shoved Sookie behind me and kept her in place with one arm while the other lifted Bill into the air.

"Sookie go back to your home and find your bag. I will follow you momentarily." I ordered her and for once she obeyed with no argument. As she neared the edge of her yard I heard her whisper.

"Finish him." I followed her command to the letter.

* * *

><p>It was a quiet ride to my home. A light rain had begun shortly after I left the glen. It had become a torrential volley the closer I came to my neighborhood. I drove the speed limit, which made me even more pissed off than before. Several years ago after Vampires had come out; law enforcement noticed several repeat offenders being pulled over. When the police officer returned to the car and radioed the dispatch the driver was let off with a warning. It was determined that video camera's needed to be installed to make sure there was not anything illegal going on. It was me, I glamoured the cops into not giving me a speeding ticket so after the installation occurred I have the same driving records of most mid-life crisis males with fast cars. Needless to say I was close to losing my license.<p>

"Has he gone to the true death?" Her voice was soft but brittle, as if any moment she may shatter.

"Yes, he has." I was not going to mince words about the late William Thomas Compton.

"I shouldn't have told you to finish him it's my fault he's dead." She broke into a fresh round of tears.

"Your wishes were irrelevant at that point. I had just ripped his throat out; he would not have last much longer. I ended him quicker and less painfully." I answered glumly. It would have been fun torturing him a bit longer but I could not tell if she could hear his pathetic gasps from the gaping hole in his windpipe. "I was going to kill him on the priniciple he was a traitor. His nail in the coffin, so to speak, was spying for Walker Evans."

"You don't care that he never cared for me?" She sniveled.

I paused to choose my words cautiously. "I wish you would understand my feelings have ran so deep for you I could not reach them for years now. Someone who can wear their heart on their sleeve has little use for hearts or emotions. For your sake; I wish Bill had been genuine in his affection because I think you deserve love and care. I have always believed you have deserved better than him, even sometimes better than me." Damn true glow, I never wanted her to hear that last part because it might very well kill me if she ever left me completely again. I studied her for a second as she pondered what I told her.

"Eric I have to be just as honest with you as you're being with me. I always felt a strong attraction to you but I couldn't really put my finger on if it was more than just lust." She blushed nicely at that. "I knew I had fallen in-love with you long before you came to stay with me."

"Oh, really when did you fall for me angel?" I asked trying to lighten the mood a little.

"I'm a fairy, remember?" She joked back and even though her nose was a little stuff she seemed happier.

"Right, I must have forgotten that or something with the whole 50 watt light bulb sitting next to me." I chuckled. "So when did you know?"

"When you wore the pink leotard I knew I loved you; especially if you could wear something so crazy just to help me." She whispered towards the glass.

"That was not my intent when I wore that but it worked out in my favor." I smiled thinking of the ridiculous outfit I wore for her. I really could not recall what mad adventure we had that night.

"Do you think Quinn loves me?" Her eyes were beginning to dry out but my answer might make her bawl again.

"No he would not have left you alone this long." I answered most diplomatically. She arched her eyebrow like she was expecting a more complete answer. "Quinn should have been around you more. Other Fae could claim if I had not. Or even worse a troll could have claimed you!"

Her smile was brief thinking I was joking, I knew of at least two troll whom lived in our area. They were very attracted to Fae. No idea why but they were.

"But he has just been really busy at work." She made excuses for him.

"Would you rather be with him?" I let my foot off the accelerator purposely.

"No I want to be with you."

"So why are you making excuses for him then?"

"It hurts okay Eric, it freaking hurts that someone I cared about even loved; hell spread my legs for repeatedly never loved me back for me just my blood and weird ass connection to a Queen I have only meet a handful of times. And now when I ask you if Quinn loves me you keep telling me no he doesn't." She was screaming at me by this point.

"Supernatural politics are a lot more complicated than what I have shown you. What you have seen has only been the briefest glimmer of what goes on. Quinn it seems has been a pawn in a larger game. Walker Evans is a very powerful shifter. He is on the council and if he wants your grandfather dead; we have bigger problems than Quinn." I tried to reason with her.

"Don't minimize my feelings!" Tears were threatening to spill over her lashes.

"I love you!" I yelled back; thinking of nothing better to say.

"Well okay then; Eric why did we stopped?" Her mood swings were about to cause me some serious whiplash.

"I took my foot off the accelerator when you began to shout therefore our movement ceased going forward."

"I didn't shout but put your foot back on it, I want to see where you live." She said leaning back into the seat.

If I was capable of getting gray hairs she would have surely put a multitude of them on my head by the end of her pregnancy.

"Gran used to tell stories why the rain showers accompanied thunder." She was beginning to get tired, I could tell she often rambled when she was about to fall asleep hard for the night.

"Thor and his mighty war hammer?" Thinking she may have heard the same stories I had as a child made me feel almost exicited.

"Nope it is the Sky and Water Fairys fighting. Which when I was little I believed it and then as I aged I quit believing her talk of fairies. Call me crazy but I have a feeling Gran knew a lot more about Fae politics than I ever have." She was tilting her to catch a better view of the clouds when a particularly bright flash lite up the sky.

"Although I never met your Gran I am sure she knew that telling you stories of the Fae was a type of preparation for later in life. The tree back in the glen, what value does it hold for you?" We were on the outskirts of my neighborhood.

"Gran used to take me there on the summer solostic every June 20th we would go dance around the tree. She would sing silly songs about Vae of the day and Fae of the sky. I can never remember the words. Once I asked her to write them down and she blanched at the thought. So I never really asked again. Why?" She rubbed her eyes with the back of her hand in a childish manner.

"The space where Bill was going to go to ground was so permeated with Fae smell; I am surprised you could not smell it too." I glanced over at her as we went through the first barrier of the community a security check point with a guard in an office. She seemed to not really be following the conversation after she the gun holstered on the guard.

"Why do you have gates in your neighborhood?" She eyed the swinging metal in apprehension.

"Sometimes human deterrence's are well placed, this is a gated community." I made a series of turns through the well-manicured suburb.

"It is the end of September, the grass shouldn't be so green." It was an accurate observation. My yard was well taken care of and had no weeds but I had to petition the small community allowing my yard to die naturally rather than continue with watering late into the season.

"This is my house on the right." I told her as we pulled up to my two story home. The garage was on the backside of the property and connected to the house letting out into the kitchen. So we pulled around to the back.

As we parked Sookie sat up bleary eyes staring at the other cars here. "How many people live here?"

"Just me, well and hopefully you at some point." I answered truthfully again, I cringed internally every time I did that. It was so out of my nature to constantly tell the truth. I was not lying when I told her if I had continued to be so naïve as I was when I was cursed with amnesia that I would have been died while in the year. This situation was no different. We would both have to be extremely cautious with our public displays of affection and her glow.

"Maybe I could live here." She said quite evenly.

Pam came rushing out of the kitchen door. "About time you show up."

"Pamela, we have had this discussion before; I can be tardy you may not. Get over it." Swinging my legs out of the car and walking over to Sookie's side I noticed Thalia hovering at Pam's elbow. "Good morrow Thalia. What are you doing here?"

She straightened herself to her full height and spoke. "I was going past Sluggy's Mom's house when Sluggy himself came rushing out. He was worried because his maker had not returned to the house after the altercation in the meeting. So he went tracking."

"Clancy has only been away from the meeting for a few hours. Why would Sluggy be concerned?" I answered as I lead Sookie into the house, she was pretty much dead on her feet.

"Sluggy has been concerned about his maker for the last few months he admitted. Clancy has been going to meetings and leaving Sluggy behind." Thalia raised her dainty shoulders as if this statement did not clarify my own question but it seemed to be the only answer she held.

"So these meetings concerned a baby vampire because…" I left my statement trail for anyone to fill in the blank. Sookie surprised me by replying I thought maybe she was not even listening to the conversation.

"This Sluggy vampire sounds like he cares for his maker deeply. Maybe Clancy commanded him to keep silent about what he has been up to. I would bet my britches Sluggy knows a lot more than he is letting on. Why would he flag her down?" She stepped into the kitchen and gasped. "This room is almost identical to my kitchen. Right down to the curtains."

"Sookie focus." Pam snapped. I was thankful because I was slightly embarrassed by her comparison. I had not noticed before she said it was so.

"Thalia is law enforcement. I am the Sherriff, Pam is the lieutenant, and Thalia a kin to your deputies. She can take reports, give instructions but unable to do any penalties without my permission." I told Sookie as I sat down at the small square table in the center of the room. Sookie sat to my right, not so gently and propped her head up on her hand. Thalia sat across from me and Pam to my left. "Did Sluggy tell you anything else?"

"No he may not have known anything else but I asked him to track Clancy's movement to the last meeting if he could." Thalia explained.

"How would he have tracked Clancy to the last meeting but not be able to tell where he was at now?" Sookie interjected yawning every other word.

"Sluggy is a tracker. When he was made it was learned he had the ability to track almost anyone or anything. He has been quite useful in certain situations. But he is still young and trying to hone in his abilities." I told her. "So was he able to track Clancy?"

"No, but after taking Sluggy back I went tracking on my own." Thalia looked at Sookie's glow and leaned towards it. "He went to the Fellowship of the Sun chapel. He was in there when I went past. I could smell him all over the yard and I do not think it was a mistake both of those men were trailing Sookie tonight."


	10. Chapter 10

Sookie POV

Waking up in strange places has never really been my thing. The room was so pitch black that I could not see my hand in front of my face. I was in a bed or a really long couch but there were covers bunched up around my waist and I was pretty certain that this had to be Eric's room. It smelled like him, sort of like an old library. There was the underlying dry paper smell that was common with vampires but he smelled a little different like when a guy has been outside in the sun all day, not like a stinky road crew smell, but like an afternoon weeding the garden smell. I know that probably sounds silly but my sense of smell was just about as keen as my other sense. I could smell if someone was afraid, or aroused or hell most of the time I could smell if they were pregnant or not. My thoughts were still rambling.

I stretched and rolled on my side. I am in a bed for sure, it is really comfy with slick sheets on it; they have to be either silk or satin. I haven't ever slept on either so I really don't know the difference. My budget can only afford cotton and not even the good thread count.

It took me a few minutes to clear the cobwebs from my thoughts and focus. I looked at my watch which was still attached to my arm; the dial read 3:00 pm October 2. I was a bit confused about the date because I thought yesterday was September 31. Something fishy had to be going on because I remembered that stupid nursery rhythm teachers make you memorize when in school.

Thirty days hath September,  
>April, June, and November;<br>February has twenty-eight alone,  
>All the rest have thirty-one,<br>Excepting leap-year, that's the time  
>When February's days are twenty-nine.<p>

I would have to ask someone about this but who? First I thought maybe Eric would know. But it might be a better idea to ask my Grandfather since he was the one who gave me the watch in the first place. Making a mental note to give him a call when I found my phone, I put the issue of the date out of my mind and thought more about what happened in the last 24 hours rather than what the date was yesterday.

It had been an incredible long day and night; I had woken up yesterday morning close to 10 with the dry heaves. That was what prompted me to go and get the pregnancy tests. Since then the day had progressed to bad to awful to horrible to down right lethal. I really didn't want to go into the details of Bill's death. Even though I hadn't been on great terms with him lately I thought he felt some affection towards. But he was a vampire and they do have a tendency to lie; a lot!

When we arrived at Eric's house last night I was basically asleep on my feet and but the time we sat down at my look alike table I damn near passed out during the beginning part of the conversation. The last thing I remember was saying something about Clancy who was Sluggy's Mom. Then I remember my head bouncing off the table as I literally crashed into sleep. Today I felt a little embarrassed about falling asleep at the table during the middle of Eric, Pam, and Thalia's talk. Thalia didn't look so lethal to me but I guess I didn't look like I could kill Debbie Pellet either.

I felt something stir on the opposite side of the bed. Reaching out with my mind I felt the big ole empty whole that could only mean I was lying next to a vampire. The last time one woke up with me next to him, I was damn near killed because of it. I hoped my watch was right as I sat up groping for a light switch somewhere near the bed. As I was sitting up and pushing away from the bed, something grabs me.

"ARRGGG." My scream echoes around the room, which only increases my panic. Even though I am pretty sure it is just Eric, I'm not fond of the dark.

"Sookie, the light switch is on the wall." Eric says really sleepy like. My heart rate slows down a little, it was as if he could read my mind. "I will be up when the sun goes down."

And with that he let go of my wrist and fell back to, I guess, sleep. Great, now what am I supposed to do? It is like at least 4 hours until the sun goes down. Fumbling around the bed I finally catch my foot on a night stand. I've never been in his house before and now I realize everything is super-sized for him frame and height. Feeling the night-stand, I slide my foot down which makes me feel impossibly small because it is a long way down. I make it over one wall; two walls and finally I find it on the third wall. I crept along; waiting for my foot make contact with some random object that must be on the floor but that thing never appeared.

Flicking on the light I breathe a great sigh of relief. Eric is laying in the middle of the bed in his full glory without a stich over his body. I must have stolen all the covers in my sleep because there were bunched in the spot I just left. His room is fairly bare expect a few Viking symbols painted on the walls. His bed has to be close to four feet from the ground. The night stand on 'my' side of the bed holds my purse, on his side night stand there is a leather bound book lying on its side. I always wondered if Vampires read for leisure and here is the proof.

Curiosity got the better of me so I went and grabbed the book. The title was Super Natural Myths and Legends; Deciphering fiction from fact. Written by the Great Council, year 1293. The book was older than I had thought, it was written mainly by hand and only the last few pages were typed and had to been added in recent years because they were just shoved into the spine. All the typed pages seemed to be amendments to other myths. The beginning of the book had been written in like Italian, I had read a little of it in high school but never progressed farther than that because the teacher was a murder who had fled to the United States to avoid prosecution and when I told Gran about his thoughts she did some research. A month later the guy was shipped back overseas. I yawned again and in the process a piece of paper fell from the spine.

"_North America had long ago been infiltrated with shifters. Native American art depicts the hunter wearing an animal skin for hunts but what archeologists failed to realize was that certain Indians had long ago acquired the ability to shift. _

"_Shape shifters actual came to the Easter Islands first. They were a dying alien breed in need of a larger genetic pool. Rather than going east on the tide they went west and soon landed in South America. Quickly they enslaved entire races at a time but Indians do not make well behaved slaves. Eventually Shifter leaders decided it would be best to assimilate with the Indians. _

"_Initially the Natives were resistant in the combining of the cultures. Yet as the generations passed prejudices lessened and friendships blossomed; within the second generation the societies had several pure shifters and partly shifter families with in their communities. The individual shifter clans and Native American tribes combined societies and cultures; a mutual benefit occurred and life for the newly created societies stabilized for a time. _

"_Back in the Americas shifters and Native Americas began to mate allowing for the societies to flourish. As the centuries progressed so did their cultures. Soon it was common for tribes to 'specialize' in specific animal shifting. This is where the pack mentality began. North America was more populated with wolf packs whereas South America varied with their specializations but typically it was a large cat breed. (Footnote 237) _

"_After a few centuries passed a splinter cell of pure shifters became restless with the docile Indians. Their claim was they had descended from a race of warriors and conquerors and the soft ways of assimilation were not to their liking. So three families set sail for the other side of the world. _

"_Human historians have documented the New World was found originally by Leif Erickson of the Vikings and then again by Christopher Columbus. Actually evidence has been documented by the great council tha shifters established the first sea voyages throughout the world. The splinter cell numbered close to 100 settlers when they left the eastern shores of South America. They traveled to Tasmania and then north to Australia. The band of 100 grew and shrank as their numbers marched across the Aboriginal territory. _

"_Within a hundred years the splinter cell had left a few shifters to infiltrate and breed. The hope was to find an adequate breeding stock with the same values with a high reproductive rate. Their hopes were dashed in both aspects; it seemed only the female shifters were able to mate with the Aboriginal males. Only one female chose to stay, thankfully she had twelve daughters and they helped in spreading the shifter DNA throughout the continent._

"_So the band moved on to Asia by way of the sea again and landed this time in India. It was found only the male shifters could breed with the human females and a few males stayed behind as the band of shifters travelled over the continent towards Europe. _

"_Finally when the shifters reached Eastern Europe it was found that both females and males could breed with the Fae half breed population and produce a high rate of births. Typically a Fae half lings could produce two to three children in one pregnancy. The presence of shifters disturbed the balance in the area for centuries and ultimately brought an end to the golden age._

"_Foot note 237: It is uncommon for South American Big Cat Clans and North American Wolf Clans to produce viable offspring. Typically the child will be a pure shifter, whereas this is favorable for the pure shifter movement it leaves the child in a fragile position. There have been rare cases where one or the other clan will completely accept the pure shifter. A more common occurrence is the child will be abandoned in favor of speciation by the clans. If you or someone you know is a pure shifter by a similar situation please contact the great council hotline for abandoned or neglected shifters councilman Walker Evans will personally assist you in finding a community suited for your abilities and needs."_

I thought to myself, "Wow that is a whole lot of crap to try and cram in your brain with no coffee." With the thought of coffee my stomach started to roll. Eric's room was just a box with two doors, option one lead me to the bathroom where I evacuated by guts into the toilet. I just laid on the tile floor pressing my face to the coolness. It took me just a few moments to recover from the upset stomach.

I went to option two for doors; there wasn't a knob that I could see. How in the H-E-double hockey sticks am I supposed to get out of his room? There is a funny squishy pad off to the right of the door. When I put my hand on it an outline of fingers and palm appear, so I fit my hand to fall inside the lines and Swoosh! The door opens. There is a little hallway and I notice there is another squishy pad at the end. I grab the book from where I left it on the ground next to the bed and flick the light off. As I enter the hallway the door leading straight to Eric sides shut with another Swoosh! Good thing I found the light, it would have been a pain to find my way around in the dark so much.

I put my hand on the squishiness and the outline flickers to life. When the door opens it takes me a minute for my eyes to adjust to the brightness of the room. I stepped out of the little hallway and the door Swooshes shut behind me. There is a coffee table and a couch in this room, it looks like the wall has a fire place at the base that leads into a formal dining room. I sit the book down on the coffee table that's when I remembered I needed to call my grandfather about this wonky watch. Darn it! I forgot my purse. I go over to the door but there isn't a pad anywhere for me to put my hand on; there isn't a knob to turn either. Craptastic.

Just then my bladder decided to let me know I should have taken care of it a few minutes ago while I was puking my guts out. I wander through the house on the main floor just making left hand turns; there is a living room, kitchen, formal dining area, and back near where I entered the house at I finally find the bathroom. My bladder is screaming for me to get in there and let loose soon or make a puddle on some pretty nice tile.

I must have been in there for about 20 minutes, it felt like a great rush of liquid but I am sure I just dribbled the whole time I was in there. After washing my hands with some awesome smelling lavender hand wash, I step into the kitchen and notice for the first time there is food everywhere. Bobby must have come sometime during the day because there is all sorts of fruit and veggie trays scattered around the room. I head towards the refrigerator. When I spy some bottled ice tea on the counter. Grabbing two of them and a strawberry, kiwi fruit tray I walk the way I came.

* * *

><p>I was going to sit at the dining room table but then I notice a radiance coming from the front room it could only be one person like that.<p>

"Grandfather." I call out tentatively.

"Yes, Sookie Dear." He answers back. As I walk through the arch way he sort of startles me with his statement. "You have not bonded with Eric yet."

"Ummmh, no not yet. That is sort of a personal question though isn't it?" I sit in a rocker recliner and bounce the springs for a second before settling back into the chair. "Why do you care if I bond with Eric? I thought you would be against me being with a Vampire?"

"He seems to be able to protect better than most and he seems to truly care for you."

"Yeah he always is able to get me out of the stupid jams I get myself into and he I know he really does care for me, unlike a certain deceased Vampire I knew."

"Ah, yes William was a disappointment all around."

"You know about Bill?" I asked quite shocked.

"I was in the glen when you were last night. I heard it all." His face was a serene mask but I could tell he was disturbed by what he heard.

"How close are you with that Walker Evans person?" I wanted to feel a great amount of sympathy for him but I knew he had tricks to protect himself.

"He has been on the council for 75 years. It is a blink of the eye in comparison to the rest of us but he seems to have a longevity that other shifters have lacked in the past." Grandfather leaned back into the couch and noticed Eric's book sitting on the coffee table. "Have you read much of it?" He nodded towards the book.

"Just one article but it was all about shifters and that they liked to breed with fae half lings. Is that why Quinn has been hanging around me?" I ask as I pick an especially juicy looking strawberry up from the platter and pop it into my mouth.

"I would not call what he has been doing 'hanging' around but yes I believe he was planted in your bed with the purpose of impregnating you. That was the reason I had been sending a sorts of pure fae to you, in hopes you would choose one of our own rather than a shifter. But there is nothing we could do now, unless…." He left his sentence hanging like a noose.

"I won't get an abortion. This is my child regardless of who the father is." I sit up a little straighter in the chair and defensively cross my legs as if a small barrier will help.

"Well, it was just a fleeting thought. Think no more of it. You will bond with Eric and they will become his. It is the fate of things." He told me in an all-knowing manner.

I had enough of his thoughts for that moment but I glanced at the watch he gave me. "Did you do something to the watch? It had September 31st on it yesterday and now it is October 2, why would it do that?"

"It was Fae day yesterday. You used to go dance around the tree on Fae day with your Grandmother and your brother for a time." He said brother like it left a bad taste in his mouth.

"We normally went to sing on the summer solstice but I don't remember going in the fall."

"You did it whether you remember it or not. I was always there with you. But our time is up. Bond with Eric, as you have noticed Evan Walker is after me. He will use any means necessary to get to me. I do not want to have to worry about you. Eric will protect you as long as you allow him. The children with become his because of the fae magic I released to you. Do not waste it on anything other than the children, they will be great leaders in their time."

"You keep saying children and their, like there is more than one in me. How many kids am I going to squeeze out in one shot?"

"More than two but less than six."

"I could have FIVE!" I practically screamed at him.

"That is my que to leave. Give me a hug and kiss." He stands and I stand. We embrace and then he releases me and Poof! He is gone. Well, hells bells, now what am I supposed to do? I look down and see the myths and legends book. I smile as I sit down with my platter of fruit and a good book to read.

* * *

><p>I had been sitting for over an hour when a bell rang somewhere in the house. It startled me from my most current readings, it was about the great depression and how super naturals were being cautioned to stay out of populated areas. Vampires in particular were being asked to cleanse the human gene pool but eliminating the sick and old where they had become a burden on their communities. I thought it was pretty disgusting philosophy but I knew a lot of cultures who did that sort of culling.<p>

But the dinging wasn't stopping. For the first time I really looked at the furniture in the room. There was the powder blue suede couch with match recliner which I was still sitting in. Lovingly I stroked the fabric and the dinging stopped from somewhere in the house. I went back into the kitchen and took my trash with me. The kitchen was exactly like mine at Gran's house. There wasn't paper on the wall but a soft yellow that looks like the morning light brushed all over the walls. Hanging in front of the bay window was a curtain that I always imagined that would hand in Gran's kitchen. I pulled the curtain back and peeked into the yard. It was dark last night when we drove up and frankly I wasn't in the right mind to look at anything but the inside of my eyelids. The garden in the back was well tended, there were some decorative flowers intermixed with what looked like a huge vegetable garden.

I used the restroom again but was more observant of my surroundings. The small toilet room was papered in coke-cola wallpaper. There was a small ledge above my head that I could see in the reflection of the mirror, the shelf had coke memorabilia scattered over it.

Leaving the bathroom I went in to investigate the rest of the house. There was one night when Eric was staying with me, we had just finished making love on the old afghan in front of a roaring fire, and I remember talking with Eric about how I would do my Gran's house over if I ever had enough money. The house was left to me but I never felt like it was mine solely, in every room Gran's touch lingered. I didn't want to wipe her memory out of the house just redecorate to what I liked. But he was under the witch's curse and I doubted he would remember any of what I had said. He had claimed for a year afterwards he didn't remember anything about being at my house. Yet here was proof that he not only heard but probably remembered on some level.

I had already been in the bathroom, kitchen, front parlor, and walk through the dining room a couple of times. When I went back to the front of the house I stopped to look at the dining table, it was the right size with six placemats in the deep crimson red I love. The china was in a side board, that pretty much matched the wedding pattern someday I had hoped to purchase. Going to the other side of the house, making left hand turns, I see the stair case leading up stairs. I never wanted the 'Gone with the Wind' stair case but something similar to it. As I swept upstairs I wished my skirt was a little fuller, so I could play going up stairs. Yes, I am a 30 year old woman who is pregnant with three to five kids and I wanted to play dress up… go figure.

It was like Eric had built the house with me specifically in mind. It was almost like he built it for me. I wondered if he could have. No, he wouldn't, he couldn't; he was just a bar owner in the middle of Louisiana. But if he had and my fantasy house was right here under my nose; there would be a study with a great library, nursery, second master bedroom, laundry room and a couple of bathrooms sprinkled in. If most of my wish list was here, Eric planned this house down to a tee. If he had regained his memories of our time together, the only indication was last night he told me he would have been dead within a year if he had stayed as naive as he had been then. If he remembers our time together, then he had loved me to entire time I was with Quinn. Hope blooms through my veins.

Slowly I ascend the stairs, willing for the rest of my fantasy to come true. The first door to the top left of the stairs is a study. In the study, I imagined a full library surround the room with a fainting leather couch next to a fire place. It is all there, even the first edition copies of the "Wizard of Oz", "To Kill a Mocking Bird", "Alice's Adventures in Wonderland", and "Wuthering Heights".

There is a powder room leading off to a cove of the study. It is done in masculine tones of hunter green and rich browns. Quietly, I shut the door and exit the study. The next room leads into a boy's nursery room with the theme of "Thomas the Train". The little train covers the walls in a zigzag of train tracks, the mural the is centered in the room is a delicate blend of reality and fantasy. I trace a finger of the wall in wonder if Eric did this or someone else. Dominating a corner of the room is a train set more appropriate for a 40 year old man than a child's nursery. The crib is covered in soft blankets and has a curious lack of baby bumpers around the bed. Smiling to myself I think back to the conversation we had about babies.

"_If I remember anything about humanity it is that babies are attached to their mother's engorged breasts. Would you do that?" His bright blue eyes were innocent._

"_If you mean would I breast feed, of course I will. If I can…." I left the sentence dangling. I had been with Bill and now Eric. I was pretty certain I was never going to have any children birthed by me but I would like them._

"_Your breasts seem quite adequate to feed a small army." He fondled my breast tugging it out of the tank top I had put on after my shower. His mouth was cool and moist on my nipple. I sucked my breathe into my lungs quickly._

"_I'm sure when the time comes they will work great." I panted as he began to suckle me. This was not the way I planned to nurse any child of mine but this man child could do that all night long and I would be a very happy lady. "Eric, slow down. I have to go to sleep soon. You are just turning me on, which doesn't help me fall asleep to easily."_

_Grinning from my breast, playfully he flicked the end of my nipple with his tongue before he tucked the soft flesh back into the fabric. "I could always help you peak and then that makes you fall fast asleep."_

"_Anyway babies need things I cannot provide right now."_

"_For instance?" Eric rolled onto his side and pinned me down with his stare._

"_A father for starters; nursery, toys, clothes, a crib but no baby bumpers and diapers." I ticked the items off on my fingers._

"_I could be a father, the other things would follow." This time I didn't have a chance to tell him to stop with his wonderful tongue. We made love sweet and slowly, I fell asleep an hour later. "I told you I would make you peak and then you would sleep well."_

_He stayed with me until minutes before dawn, I felt the bed shift under me as he left for his cubby hole in the base of my closest. "Good day my sleeping beauty."_

Standing and looking at the baby crib, I laughed at the lack of baby bumpers. He remembered such small details, things that I am sure I had to tell you again all the minute details I would miss some that he remembered. Leaving the boy nursery I found a second tailored for a little girl. There were unicorn's galore, with fairy stuff, again on the wall there was a mural. It was of the glen and tree I used to dance around while Gran sang, in the edge of the mural I could see my Grandfather's face peeking around a tree. I wonder if Grandfather told him to paint that in or it was just a trick of the light. I tilted my head left and right to see if the image was sharper either way. I spent a few extra minutes looking around the room finding ribbons for hair, scented sheets tucked away in a large dresser and a closet stuffed with clothes from all around the world ranging from infant size to size 12 in little girl clothes.

After I had my fill of frills, I went back into the hallway. At the far end there was a wash room, there were two dryers and one washer. I hated waiting for the clothes to dry while the others just sat in the washer. It was a little thing but once again Eric must have heard me and implemented an action to solve what ailed me.

I went to final door in the hallway, if this was my big dream it should be the second master bed room. My eyes were shut tight as I opened the door, slowly I open them with my face pointed at the carpet. The first thing I notice is the royal blue carpet, thick with no lopes in the ply. There is a jewelry cabinet next to the door, I really have little use for jewelry but that was one thing Eric insisted we discuss when he stayed with me. In the center of the room is a King size bed with a quilt spread on the top. Gently I finger the pattern made by the thread, the weaving of thread lights up the plain white quilt. My Gran always wanted to make me a marriage quilt, she would describe it to me when I would get ready for bed as a child and I relayed it to Eric. Here was the product of all those dreams by both Gran and me.

In the corner there is a high boy, which I would imagine if full of clothes I would never had been able to purchase with my tips waitressing. There is a small balcony off the back with a rod iron table and chairs. I can see the ivy creeping up the side of the house and peeking over the sides of the railing. Suddenly I am over whelmed by my wish coming true, I slip my dress and bra off and slide under the covers. It takes me only a few minutes to fall asleep, Eric will find me here waiting for him come sun down.


	11. Chapter 11

Author's Note: These characters belong to Charlene Harris; they are just driving around in my Barbie Malibu Corvette. Well Eric is driving, Sookie is holding on for dear life.

* * *

><p>The lights clicked on an hour before sunset. Lying there dazed for a moment trying to figure out why the lights had come on an hour before I typically arose for the night. Slowly the wheels in my head started to turn and I remember the previous 24 hours and the weeks leading up to this point. Groaning I get out of bed.<p>

What a nightmare. The Queen was going to be executed; I was to take her place; Clancy seemed to have gone off the deep end and now would forfeit his life to either me or the Fellowship of the Sun. I would prefer that Thalia was successful in arranging Clancy's release into my custody but I did not see coming to fruition. I had plans for his true death.

I see that Sookie's purse is still sitting on the floor near where I deposited her for the day. My nightstand is bare which briefly causes me concern until I realize most of the Book was in old script, typically Basque French, and I highly doubted she would able to read it. Vaguely I remembered waking up at some point during the day to tell her where the light switch was. She is probably sleeping somewhere in the house, I cannot hear her talking on the phone line nor can I hear her doing any other activities.

Somewhere in the cranny of my mind I hope she realizes this house was built for her and I. Material thing are really not something I have ever concerned myself with. Yet upon regaining a majority of my memories I knew that I had to build this house for her. She never really had anything of her own and though she was content in her grandmother's house it was never truly her home. It still baffled me how I spoke to her about love and devotion while we had our time on Hummingbird lane. Some of the things I told her were still confusing. Yet I vividly remembered the depth of my feeling which was involved and I believe I have a better grasp on understanding how I could have opened myself up to her so completely.

I had a certain agenda to follow prior to getting to the airport. Grabbing my pants off the hanger where I took them off for the day. Finding my cell phone I hit the speed dial and quickly connected to Anubis Airlines.

"Anubis Airlines, where we don't drain your pocket book or any other part of you. This Isabella how may I direct your call?" A deep female voice rushed out.

"Hello Isabella, This is Eric Northman, I am calling to confirm my reservations for this evening in Shreve Port, Louisiana. I am just calling to make sure everything is in order for an hour after dusk." I answered as I began to grab clothes for the trip.

"Yes, Mr. Northman it looks like a flight from Shreve Port is on time and will be ready to board as soon as you are there. Let me get your confirmation number for you." I heard the random clicking of fake nails racing across the keyboard.

"That will not be needed Isabella. Thank you."

"Thank you for your business and have a glorious night Mr. Northman." Her voice was pleasant but a little too low for my liking.

"You do the same Isabella." I snapped the cell phone shut. Looking at all the clothing I had packed; two suits, a few dress slacks, a couple of button up shirts and a week worth of jeans and tee-shirts. It would not be a requirement to dress up for a majority of the conference so I could go in casual dress for most of it.

Zipping the suit bag and duffel bag shut I tossed them on the bed. For the next thirty minutes I called a few hotels in Vermont and secured lodging for my little troupe for the next week.

"Will you need travel insurance." A perky voice chirped at me.

"No, we will be arriving this tomorrow morning extremely early. I will not be changing my mind."

"Then I will have to charge you in advance. Card Number please."

I gave her the number and hung up. Killington Vermont; it was perfect. The Inn was named Wolfsbane. Chuckling to myself I grabbed a pair of running shorts to slip on. I had made the mistake of leaving my room a few minutes after dusk one evening with no shorts on. The neighbor was startled a bit to see me striding through my home naked. She left a disgusting pan of warm buns on the front steps a few nights later with an invitation to keep her buns and mine warm. Thankfully Bobby had shown up a few minutes later and kindly explained to the woman that I was not interested in her buns, warm or otherwise. But since then I routinely wore something over my ass.

* * *

><p>I just wanted a week of peace and marital bliss with Sookie; I really hoped that could be achieved with the bonding and marriage ceremonies. She has repeatedly accused me of scheming in some form or other; there has been a basic lack of trust since I left her house. I have never been brutally honest with her about the way I feel, but with the child influencing my truthfulness it was something I was going to have to do no matter if I wanted to or not.<p>

Sighing I slipped my hand over the palm scanner and punched a code in on the door unlocking them from the outside. Stepping out of my room I smell the room is permeated with Fairy. Niall must have popped in, literally. He had done it a time or two with me in a different home. I had thought he would have learned his lesson by now. Fucking fairy.

Spotting crumbs in the recliner and my book on the end table, it is quite evident Sookie was here. Walking to the kitchen it is evident that Bobby did as instructed and filled the house with edible human food. He had a list of things to get together from Sookie's home while I rested. Jahir, Pam's new day guy, would be traveling with us as well. He was still in training with Bobby, plus during the day I did not want Sookie to be left alone with Bobby and her idiot brother Jason. Jahir had shown a bit more intelligence when dealing with supe's.

Jason should be at the airport shortly. I had to go through his pack master, just to make sure he showed up. I had called in the favor from Alcide, stupid animals! He was going to get in contact with the animals out in Hot Shot, he would be at the airport no doubt kicking and screaming the whole time. But Sookie had asked him last night while he was shit faced drunk and I could not guarantee he would show up on his own. Since the bonding could be contested unless we had a direct family member, I wanted to make sure his ass was there.

Pushing the thought out of my mind; I begin wondering about how Sookie would like the bonding and wedding ceremonies occurring. Bobby should have gone to her house and gathered certain items. One of those items was her mother's wedding gown; it was in the upstairs guest closet. I found it while I was there on my unexpected month long visit; as I have come to think of it. There were many things that I found while I lived with her. A certain dairy that was written in her hand at the age of nine; oh, the knowledge that one can gleam from a child's mind is astounding. She never told me what Barlett did to her, but her diary did.

It explained so much. The biggest was her fear of relying on males for anything. Barlett had been paying the bills for Gran after the death of her husband. Sookie hid the things Barlett had done to her and therefore it would have been most difficult for Gran to know. It just happened that one day she finally broke down and told her Gran what had been going on. In the true spirit of the south, Gran snatched up a shot gun and forcefully escorted him from the country home. The diary mentioned the lack of funds for ballet class, Jason's new football uniform for junior ball, and at one point Sookie wrote she was doing so by candle light because the power had been shut off for a few weeks during the beginning of the school year. So her fears included finance insecurities, lack of trust in men, and an unhealthy view of normal sexual desires. Mostly for me that translates to I am fucked. If that bastard had kept his hand off of her and his dirty thoughts at bay, it would have made my existences in her life that much less dramatic. But as it is I am going to have constantly battle that pedophile's presence in her mind, even if she does not realize what she is thing or why she feels certain ways.

I open the window in the front room, to waft out the smell of Niall. My phone vibrates and I answer it before the second jiggle.

"Northman." I answer the phone as a greeting.

"Good evening Master." Bobby returns my greeting, technically I am not his master so much as he is my slave. His baritone voice is pleasant but not something I would wish to listen to for an eternity. He is a good day guy but I would never turn him. He lacks the killer instinct which makes a durable Vampire.

"Bobby, your presence is required with Miss Stackhouse's luggage at air Anubis by 9. You will be traveling with Jahir; notify him that he is required there with Pam's luggage. Also another human male will be in attendance in Vermont. We will discuss more on the plane. Do not disappoint." Before Bobby has a chance to confirm, deny, or whine; I snap the phone shut. He is loyal and will do what he is told.

Pam, Thalia and I had a long conversation this morning, prior to dying for the day, about what needed to be done with Clancy. Pam had gone to her death in the guest house on the backside of the property. It was more of a storage area for the holiday decorations from Fangtasia but it suited her when she 'slept' over. Thalia had gone to ground. She was more reluctant to share her sleeping arrangements with Pam and me. After close to 1000 years of knowing one another she was still suspicions of me. I only tried to kill her a handful of times in the first 100 years, as our fake family moving through Europe. She held grudges.

Pam was not happy about Sookie's pregnancy but when I confided in them both that the children were to be mine after the bonding. Her expression turned soft and dreamy; it was a bit disgusting. Thalia on the other hand discussed the logistics of taking care of Vae children like she had been doing it her whole life. Shortly thereafter Thalia took off for the Fellowship of the Sun church. I had a feeling that was where she went to ground for the day. It was a bit risky, yet she was fast and could rise earlier than most Vampire's. Our age had a great deal to with how much rest we needed. I was searching the house for Sookie by the time Thalia's plot on how to extract Clancy came to mind.

* * *

><p>I found her the second Master Bedroom. Noting her clothes are on a pile next to the bed, I feel myself stirring. She is asleep in the middle of the bed. If I did not know better I would have said there was a child curled up in the green quilt.<p>

I slip my shorts off and put them in the pile with hers. She starts to pant hard in her sleep. Growing concerned I lean over the bed and look down at her. Either she is having a really great dream or a nightmare. I pull back the quilt and am hit with a wave of her perfume, it is sweeter than any fairy I have smelled. Obviously, she is having a great dream. Her hands are rocking against her center as she tries to achieve orgasm. Keeping my word that I would wait until she was conscience; I gently brush her hair away from her face.

Lying down in the bed next to her, I pull her into my arms that is when her face seeks out mine. Our tongues duel one another until I pull away. I want her awake when I take her. She whimpers like she is in pain as I resist her lips. Slowly her eyes open, glazed over as if sleep still grips her. Turning her head into my chest she mumbles.

"I thought it was a dream, you weren't holding me. Instead you were pushing me away and then outta nowhere you were holding me like this. Then you told me you loved me and have loved me all along. I know you said the words last night but could I hear them again?" She nuzzled my chest placing butterfly kisses around my areola.

"I love you Sookie. You have been the center of my thoughts for over four years. I wish I could have been your first, last, and only lover. I would have given anything to stay with you forever." The words pour out of me before I can stop them. I wish I had a little more control over myself and especially my words but it cannot be helped at this point.

"I love you too Eric. I think I forgot to tell you that last night." Her lips are incredible hot against my skin.

"I knew."

"My Grandfather stopped by today." She commented out of the blue. "He was surprised we hadn't bonded yet. I know you spoke with him last night but why did you have to ask him if we could bond. That part I don't get."

It was like taking a cold shower in her words. I sat up a little more in the bed and adjusted her so she was lying on my left side. "Bonding is like marriage. It is just with no chance of divorcee."

"So why did you talk to my Grandfather about it?" Her breathe brushed past my skin with every word.

"It is tradition that when Vampire's bond with other super naturals that the oldest living male must approve. This prevents a rash decision from being made by either party. If my maker were still alive I would need to ask his permission and then he would need to be present for the bonding." Her hair smelled like the sun. It was inches away from my nose but I could smell the heat coming off of her.

"We have exchanged blood a couple of times, why is this time so special?" Her fingers were drumming against my ribs.

"Regular feedings as you know are when I accept blood from a human."

"Willing or non-willing."

"Typically willing but that is something else we will have to discuss later. Let me get this out; a normal feeding I do not give my blood back to my blood donor. The first two times for bonding is an exploratory process, typically the bond can diminish over time between the couple."

"Can you still feel me?"

"Yes, which was disturbing especially when Quinn frightened you on a few occasions."

"How do you know it was Quinn and not someone else?"

"Because I went to you and watched through the window. I could not get in because you rescinded my invitation otherwise you would not be pregnant right now. As I was saying; the trial period is two times. The couple, both Vampire and Human, can reevaluate if the bonding is what each person really wants. The third exchange of blood is not a guarantee a permanent bond with occur; but most of the time it is irreversible. They will be bonded for life, whoever's is shortest."

"What happens if the supe dies before the Vampire?"

"It will kill them." I had not thought of that when I initially wanted to bond with Sookie. Her life would be much shorter than my eternity. Although, Niall is older than I am, perhaps she would live a longer life than most supes. "As I was saying, it is tradition for the Vampire who is bonding to address the family of the super to acknowledge the families prior claim to the human. It is then when any opposition to the bonding will happen. When addressing the family the Vampire will basically ask for the humans' life in the bonding process. This is why many couple never bond completely because the families will have objections and pressure the human to stop the exchange of blood with the Vampire. Most families are concerned at some point the human will be turned and then they will never see their child again. But if an affirmation is given for the bonding, a family member from both human and Vampires will come together for the bonding."

"But you said your maker was dead, so how is that going to work?"

"An elder of the Vampire community will be there as a proxy for my maker."

"Who is the elder?"

"A Vampire named Destiny, she is an acquaintance of mine."

"Eric you're naked." She hands are resting between us, placed on either side of my hips as she braces against me. Slightly she lifts away from me, looking at me inquisitively.

"Yes, you just now realized that?" I ask as innocent as I can.

"Well, I saw that you were naked in the bed. But I figured you'd throw some clothes on before walking around your house." Exasperated she started to pull away from me.

"Did it frighten you to sleep with me, naked?"

"Not the naked part, you were dead. So it wasn't like you were going to try anything during the day. It is the waking up next to me part. Last time a Vampire woke up next to me, it didn't turn out too well for me."

"Yeah…" I really could not say anything about that. It was partly my fault she ended up in the back of the Cadillac with Bill draining her. I should have killed him years ago. My only satisfaction was there was no way he could physically affect Sookie ever again. I tried changing the subject slightly, "You never woke up next to me while I was at your house. It would have been nice to have you by my side when I arose for the day." I was stroking her back up and down while pulling her closer to my chest; her hips were restless against my thigh. A good sign she wanted to make love soon. The foremost thought in my head right then was to get her on top of me and have her ride me like a cowboy. I stifled a groan as she shifted her core across my member. The heat was palpable and incredible hot.

"Eric, I really have missed you." She whispered as she blushed furiously. "The 'you' I got to know while under Hallow's curse was innocent and fun. But I have since then fantasized about how you would…" She paused and looked into my eyes as if she was too embarrassed to finish her sentence.

"About how I would what?" I prompted her.

"make love." She squeaked out and then tried to slap her hand over her mouth. Thankfully her hands were pinned in between us.

"I could show you now if you like." I flipped her onto her back and loomed over her.

"Eric I want you inside of me now." She said as she stroked my inner thigh with her fingertips.

Balancing on one arm, I take my member and run it the length of her mound. Teasing her was not the best idea because out of nowhere she overbalances me and crawls on top. There is no more foreplay, no words as she, in a single motion, buries me to the hilt inside of her. Her face grimaces in pain. She is tight, much tighter than I remember.

"Is this a good idea?" I ask.

"I have been too long without you. Quinn was no Gracious Plenty." Sookie grunts out as she tries to find a more comfortable position. She turns away from my face in a reverse cowboy position. I feel her relax on me as this must feel better or at least easy the pressure in her.

Her nectar lubricates us both allowing me to rock my hips with minimal effort in minutes I am about to peak. Unable to restrain myself any longer I roll over with her still attached, making her go into doggie style. I pause as I run my hand the length of her spine. Out of nowhere I see a splash of blood land on her back and then another. My tears caught me by surprise so when she looked over her shoulder and gasped; I felt compelled to explain.

"I am overwhelmed by your beautiful gift." I smeared my blood against the creamy texture of her skin.

"What gift would make you cry like this?" She shifted her hips backwards, effectively impaling herself on me.

"Your love." I answered as I began to pump my hips against her. I stroked myself against her G-spot and she had an orgasm on me within seconds. I found our rhythm and picked up the pace. Grasping her hips I let out a growl from deep within my chest as my seed pours inside of her.

We lay quietly within one another's arms while she catches her breathe.

"Did I hurt you?" I lay my hand on her backside where moments ago my pelvis was slapping. It is hot on my palm.

"No, it is more like I hurt myself in the beginning. I was just in such a rush to have you inside me I forgot it takes a bit of time for me to relax enough to have you all the way in."

I felt a bit smug about that. Obviously Quinn didn't have my length nor girth.

"Wipe that smile off your face. Just 'cuz you're bigger than him doesn't mean you're better."

"Who has you in their arms?"

"You do." She mumbles into my chest.

"Who loves you?"

"You do." Her lip sticks out a bit.

"Who has a Gracious plenty?"

"You do." She slaps my arm as she sits up. "What time does the flight leave?"

"When I tell it to go, they will not leave without us, I am the one who pays the airfare." I notice the pool of sweat in-between her cleavage. "Do you want a shower?"

She nods her head and I carry her into the shower. I flick the water on as I set her on her feet. I know the water is freezing but I need to cool off too. I would like to take her again right then but I know she is going to need a human moment to recover. Looking down I notice her teeth are beginning to chatter, so I soap her up the best I can, lather her hair and rinse her off quickly. I take my time but she is standing outside the stall waiting for me.

"Eric are you ever going to get out of the shower? Aren't you getting cold?" She asks poking her head around the curtain.

"Lover, if you are standing in here with just a towel on when I get out, there is no way we are going to make it to Vermont by sunrise. Am I making myself clear?"

Laughing I hear her exit to the bedroom and open up the closet door.


	12. Chapter 12

Author's note: These characters belong to Charlene Harris, it is her fault they are the way they are. Cannot blame me; I didn't create their personalities. This is what I have to deal with, so blame her.

Sorry about the short chapter, I am on vacation this week and only had a limited time at a computer. This is pretty much a spacer for what comes next. There is a bit of foreshadowing; so get ready for the roller coaster to begin!

* * *

><p>SPOV<p>

I walked into the closet and was a bit overwhelmed with the choices of clothing. For a moment I felt silly running my hands across the various fabrics. There were silks, velvet – did people really where that anymore? - and the same slipper material which Eric's sheets were made out of. In the end I found a calf length tan suede skirt and paired it with a cream colored squishy sweater. It felt like it should have been wool but it wasn't scratch when I pulled the fleece against my skin. Looking at the floor I found a multitude of shoes to choose from. There was a pair of boots that matched the skirt perfectly which I snatched and threw them on quickly. I dressed in record time- well, for having an entire closet full of new clothes to choose from- it was pretty speedy if I do say so myself.

I was still basking in the afterglow of our brief session. It could have been called a lot of things; making love, a roll in the hay, screwing, fucking, horizontal hula, whoopi, doing it, porking, or putting the sock in the shoe. To me it was perfect, it was being with Eric. Something I sorely missed; emphasizing the sore part. I forgot how well-endowed the man was! I was stretching from the hips when I heard the music drift up the stairs.

Since my face was close to my stomach I whispered towards it, "Hey in there, I have a secret I don't love your dad but I do love Eric. I'm feelin' a little guilt about it all, to tell the truth; which you are making it impossible for me to get my way by having me be so honest." I heard Eric's laughter rumble up the stairs. I was pretty certain he couldn't hear me and was maybe on the phone with someone, at least I hoped that was why he laughed. But I continued my lecture to the fetus within, "I hope you won't hate me but I am going to bond with Eric and hopefully marry him too. But shhh, don't tell my little secret. I want to surprise him."

Smiling I straightened to a standing position and went back into the bathroom. I wasn't sure if there was going to be anything more than maybe a toothbrush in there but I was hoping for at least deodorant. As luck would have it, Pam must have used this bathroom quite often because there was a huge makeup kit and brushes under the sink. I applied some light blush to my cheeks and chose a dark brown to highlight my blue eyes. Satisfied with the reflection in the mirror, I ran a comb through my hair. I wondered how different I will look in a couple of months. Pausing with the combing, I press my hand against the flattest part of my belly. I can tell there is a little curve there, more so than even last month. Placing the comb, makeup and brushes away; I leave the bathroom the way I found it and head down stairs.

I hear the music more clearly as I reach the landing of the main floor. "Eric, who is this playing?" I ask in my normal voice because I am fairly sure he can hear me perfectly. Standing in front of the open window I watch as a car comes up the drive.

"Sick Puppies." He answers.

"Ewww, what a terrible name!" I reply. I really like the thumping parts of the song but the artist name really sucks. I start dancing around the room picking up my stuff as I go. Some of the lyrics are difficult to catch but I have the chorus down fairly well. Having no ability to sing has never stopped me from doing so in private. The chorus was coming up and I start to sing softly to myself:

"It's been a long time coming

And the tables' turned around

Cause one of us is going

One of us is going down

I'm not running, it's a little different now

Cause one of us is going

One of us is going down"

I start doing the little head bobs that everyone does at the clubs. Dancing all around the room I spin to face where the door is for Eric's room. Well the room he was supposed to be in, he is standing about three feet away smiling. He catches me about the waist and starts' grinding with me in a way no one ever has done with clothes on. Biting my lip in frustration as I try to be as naughty as he is being by grinding back, it is a bit difficult keeping my balance. Eric's hands are wrapped behind my back helping to keep me up right. The chorus comes around again and I start singing it. The look on his face is priceless, so I increased my volume until I am basically screaming it. He laughs right before he captures my lips with his. The doorbell interrupts us, reluctantly he releases me to answer it. Looking over his shoulder he lets me know.

"Pam's favorite line from the song is 'But don't cry like a bitch when you feel the pain'." His laughter dies as he opens the door.

Chuckling to myself, I take Eric's book back into the bed room. I see his satchels on the bed and place the book in the front pouch. I figure I am going to have to do something while he is asleep in Vermont. I'm not really looking forward spending the day with Booby, yes I call him Booby behind his back. He is such a boob. I poke my head back out of the bedroom; there is a squirrely looking Vampire on the porch. I can't hear either of them but the look Eric gives me means he is in full on "Sherriff of Area Five" mode and don't interrupt.

I started to feel a little queasy again, so I walk back to the bathroom off the kitchen and close the door. It doesn't take long for me to toss my crackers, literally. Eric is pounding on the door before I have time to clean my mouth out.

"Sookie, Sookie are you alright?" Eric is standing outside the bathroom with his fangs completely descended. It was a bit of a turn on but before I could say anything, I turned back to the toilet to vomit again.

"Eric, I need a human minute or ten here. I'll be out when-" Uhgg, I vomited in the middle of a word that is the worst. I start gasping for breath as the acid hits my wind pipe.

"Stop that at once." Eric all but shouted at me. He was wiping my face with the nice red hand towel from the sink. "You have to breathe!"

"It's okay Eric. My stomach will settle down in a minute. Go back to your conversation." I directed him out as pressed my head against the wall.

"Just stop that, I do not care to hear it. The sound is wretched."I've never seen his face paler than right now.

"It's because I'm retching." I quip back.

"We will leave in a few minutes." He informs me as he walks back to the front room.

I sit there for a few more seconds until I am certain that my stomach will behave. Standing up I splash cool water on my face while some Lady Gaga song plays in the backroom. She isn't one of my favorite artists but I can tolerate her. Leaving the bathroom I head over to the refrigerator and look for some Ginger ale. I was pretty certain I had seen some in there earlier. Cracking open the glass travel size bottle, I take a few small sips.

I call to Eric and ask him if he wants me to heat him up a blood.

"Yes, the one in the front of the door." His voice booms back.

As I heat up the blood, the door slams behind me causing me to jump. An instant later he is standing behind me, stroking my hair.

"Are you alright?" His concern is genuine.

"Eric when your wife was pregnant, were you ever around her much?" I ask through sips of my Ginger Ale.

"No, I was out raiding. I came home for brief periods of time. She was with the other women. They took care of one another; well there were the elder men too feeble to leave the village. Me personally there, no." Eric was rambling, it was so cute!

"Well, when a woman is with child it is common for her to have morning sickness." I explained.

"But it is evening." He was quick to point out.

"It is just called morning sickness because it is more common in the morning."

"Why are you doing it now then?" He asked clearly baffled.

Laughing, I just shrug my shoulders, "I have no clue, why I am doing it Eric. Who was that at the door?"

"Just an inconvenience, nothing for us to worry about, it was Marten."

"Wasn't he the one you left in charge of Area Five?"

"One in the same. It seems the Queen arrived in town and wanted a chat with me before we leave for Vermont."

"Are you going to meet with her?"

"Nope. Get in the car. We are leaving directly to the airport. I just hope everyone is there before the wheels go up."

"Why aren't you meeting with the Queen?" I ask as I watch him drain the bottle in a single swallow, wow he must have been thirsty. "Isn't she gonna be mad when you don't show up for the meeting?"

"If everyone is aboard the plane when we leave there is nothing in Louisiana she can hold over me." He tossed the bottle in the sink and literally sprinted back to his bed room. A split second later he was back with his bags and my purse. Ushering me towards the door. "Get in the corvette. Is your stomach empty?"

"Yes?" I answered a bit concerned.

"Good." He was backing out of the garage before the door was completely up and we were racing down the street before I had a chance to buckle my seat belt.


	13. Chapter 13

EPOV: Chapter 12

I knew that Sookie was doing her best not to squeal at every turn of the wheel. Her face, which was pale to begin with due to her 'morning sickness', had grown paler in the ten minutes it took for us to drive to the airport. I would have flown, if I had not had luggage or Sookie with me. But considering she was pregnant and I did, in fact, have luggage with me; it would have been more cumbersome and most likely slower to fly.

"Eric, is there a reason you are avoiding the Queen?" It was the first time since we left my house that she spoke.

"Other than she is bat shit crazy?" I tried to lighten the mood, but considering I was driving in excess of 100 miles per hour and there were three cops chasing me. I figured it was a pretty dire situation.

"Yeah, other than she's crazy. We have known that for years, especially since she turned Hadley." Her fingers were gripping the handle of the door so tightly that I though perhaps she would leave permit markings of her ride. It caused me to grin slightly.

"You have seen human grief, when a woman loses her child what happens?" I wanted her to continue talking because it was helping me calm a bit too.

"They go mad for a time but then they heal if they are lucky. What does that have to do with the Queen?" She looked in the side mirror and saw the red and blue flashing. "Eric, are we in a high speed chase?"

"Yes we are." I adjusted the rear viewer mirror so the lights were no longer flashing in my eyes. "As how the grief and the Queen are connected, imagine having a dozen children over a relatively short period of time. Then losing all but one within a five year period, the grief would be overwhelming. It could cause the mother to completely lose her mind."

"So how many baby Vampires has she lost over the years?" Sookie was no longer focusing on the police trailing in the distance.

"In the past two years she not only lost your cousin, Hadley, but another two score." I looked sideways at her.

"How the hell many are a score?" She seemed confused.

"Twenty." We were pulling into the airport; I had to slow to 50 miles per hour to make the turn without flipping the car.

"She had FORTY , as in four zero children die in the past two years? No wonder she's bat shit crazy." She huffed out.

"Indeed." I took note of all the cars in the parking lot. Bobby's sedan was parked in one of the handicap parking spaces, Pam's mini-van parked close to the terminal, Jason's large truck which took up to spaces and Thalia's motorcycle in the far corner of the lot. "It looks like everyone is here; when we exit the car just grab your purse. I will take care of everything else."

"Is the Queen here?" Her eyes were scanning the parking lot as quickly as I had.

"Not as far as I can tell." I pulled up beside Pam's van, screeching the car to a halt.

Either the fear of the Queen or the apprehension of the police chase caused Sookie to move with a greater speed than usual. We had left the Corvette and expedited our journey through the terminal. Thankfully, Anubis Airlines had its own terminal and we did not have to go through typical security like commercial air flights did.

"Good Evening, your party is awaiting a board. The only passengers we seem to be missing are William Compton and his child." A pert little woman greeted us on the steps leading up to the air craft.

"They will not be joining us this evening." I ushered Sookie up the steps as the sounds of the sirens grew closer. I was not worried about the police but rather the attraction of attention on the police scanners. It was one of Sophie-Anne's favorite past-times. On occasion it had been useful in tracking down rogue Vampires. Now she just enjoyed hearing about death and destruction through the radio waves. "Wheels up as soon as we are seated, inform the Captain immediately."

"Yes Mr. Northman." As we climbed the steps she scurried to the forward cabin.

"Find a seat," I quickly instructed Sookie. "I will secure the cabin." As soon as we were off the steps, I turned around and pulled the steps shut, secured the door and made sure nothing would fly around during takeoff. I went to the front, "Take off Captain, everything is secure."

The three humans in the cockpit, all jumped a little when I spoke. I attributed it to they were new to the company and had not had their 90-day reviews yet, and therefore had no clue who I was in charge of their livelihoods.

"Mr. Northman we are conducting our preflight checklist, if you wouldn't mind going to sit down we can take off in 10 minutes." The Captain fiddled with a few instruments on the dash.

"My instructions were to be ready to take off when we arrived. Wheels up, now." I did not care that I had just glamoured the Captain, the safety of my entire future lay within the confines of the small aluminum tube which should be capable to safely leave the ground right then.

"Yes Mr. Northman we are taking off right now." He did not hesitate but went ahead and adjusted the gauges to the correct settings and pushed forward on the throttle.

"Louisiana this Alpha Alpha Three Two Four we're ready for departure as all pre-flight assessments have been conducted. Permission to take off." The Captain spoke into the head set a response was quick to reply.

"Permission granted Alpha Alpha Three Two Four. Have a safe flight to Utah." The flight controller responded.

The plane lurched forward in the abrupt acceleration.

* * *

><p>As the wheels left the ground I breathed an unnecessary sigh of relief and left the cockpit notifying the stewardess that myself and my companions would like refreshments momentarily. Walking the short span of the hallway I noticed the stewardess had a heavy looking jacket sticking out of the front closet. She must have just arrived from cooler weather and was unable to place the coat in longer storage.<p>

Shrugging my shoulders I went and sat next to Sookie then I took stock of where everyone was seated. There were enough seats to sit eight pairs of passengers, the seats were arranged so four passengers could have conversations face to face without having continually swivel a chair or leave their seats completely. Jason sat next to Destiny and across from Sookie and myself; I still had a great many questions to ask the odd vampire but it could wait until later. Currently I just wanted peace and quiet. Pam and Thalia were across the aisle and directly across from Bobby and Jahir. I breathed a sigh of relief as we reached our cruising altitude.

Adjusting the chair to my taller frame than my companions, I tilted the seat back a few degrees and stretched out my legs. Looking out my window I watched the lights of the police fade into the blackness of the night. Sookie was unusually quiet sitting next to me for a few minutes. There was no quiet chatter that you would normally hear on commercial airlines, it was dead silent as if everyone was too nervous to speak.

Thalia kept flickering her eyes toward me and then back to the conference room. Knowing that I needed to deal with Clancy sooner than later I stood up abruptly and went to the conference room; Thalia and Pam both followed without me having to utter a summons.

"Where are you three going?" Sookie demanded spinning in her chair so she was on her knees. Her eyes followed the procession to the conference room.

"We have area business to discuss. It should not take an abundance amount of time." I flashed her a fangy grin.

"Fine." She huffed out and sat back down in unladylike fashion; expelling the air from her lungs as her bum connected with the seat.

The conference room held my attention as I entered the small seven by ten foot room. Clancy was bound in silver seating with his back to us. Thalia was the first to speak.

"He was in the building like I assumed. I was able to take him while he was still asleep for the day." She did have some evident burns on her nose and hands where it would have been difficult to avoid complete concealment from the sun.

"Did you go to ground near the church?" I asked as I walked towards Clancy.

"I did. The tape recorder I left inside the church recorded all day long but it was rather self explanatory when I listen to it. You may listen for yourself, there was only two ten minute conversations the entire day. One was about what to do with Clancy. He knew he was to be staked for the church. According to the pastor and a deacon whom can clearly be heard on the tape, Clancy was ready to die and no longer wished to see another night." Her eyes briefly flickered to where he sat but she continues. "The second was more to do with production of silver nitrate laced true blood. The church had recently acquired a true blood factory in hopes they could stop production. As you know there was an outcry not only from the Vampire community but also the human population which feared the shortage of synthetic blood would cause an increase of Vampire attacks. So the idea of tainted blood was more appealing to the church than causing a huge uproar by the human population."

"Yet each True Blood factory has to have a Vampire quality control person, where were they going to get one that would allow their own kind to be destroyed?" Pam asked.

"They were not going stake Clancy as they promised but rather have him be the quality control for the facility. Effectively he would be directly responsible for eradicating a small percent of Vampires nightly with the toxic substance." Thalia sat in the nearest chair to the door. She did not mind doing the killing but the retrieval of Vampires who needed justice dealt out did not sit well with her. She would rather have killed him in the field and then returned with a report. The quick death of Clancy would have been satisfying but I still had questions for him.

He looked pathetic with his arms bound to the leather chairs. Silver wrapped around him in a crisscross pattern, the slight burning smell permeated the air around him. There was duct tape covering his mouth I assumed so he didn't cry out. Disgusted with his presence I was unwilling to just end his life right then. Yet if I did not get him away from me I may have just done that.

"Pam open the hatch, there should be a small coffin underneath for him. Store him there until I am able to speak to this vermin without killing it." I walked away from the women as they hurried to do my bidding.

Sookie, Jason and Destiny were deep in conversation when I returned to my seat.

"Then he bound towards the dog claiming it for himself!" Destiny ended the sentence in mirth and the four humans in the compartment burst into a fit of laughter.

"What story are you telling?" I asked mildly curious because something about the twinkle in her eye made me interested.

"When you first came to the Oracle there was a dog which was brought to her as a gift, do you remember that?" She asked with laughter in her voice.

"Yes, it was brought by a Russian Czar at the time, correct?" Quickly I scanned my thoughts trying to remember who would have claimed the dog for himself.

"Do you happen to remember who claimed the dog?" She almost giggled out.

"Why is this so amusing? No I do not remember. Who was it?" The curiosity was about to do me in.

"It was Nail Brigand. He wanted the dog for his own. At the time he was still a youth but a powerful one." She said in a fit of renewed laughter.

"Sookie's Grandfather claimed the dog? I was unaware." I commented no longer completely amused where the conversation had gone in my absence.

"He has said there were mystical properties the dog alone held and he wouldn't allow the Oracle to drain the dog for its power. He had the dog mated over a thousand times in its life, of all the thousands of litters the sired only five or six had the same properties and they weren't all from the same litter. Except the last litter." Her laughter was a bit contagious because soon I found myself smiling at the notion Nail had thousands of puppies to clean up after. "The poor dog died happy though."

"How do you know that Destiny?" Sookie asked with merriment in her voice.

"He was rutting with a bitch in heat, the story goes his last litter was his most productive because he gave his all in the end. Every last pup in that litter had his mystical properties!" Another roar of laughter filled the cabin. I could not help myself I chuckled as well.

The cabin slowly became more somber and quiet after a minute or two. Sookie was staring at me I could feel her eyes on me.

"Explain further why we were avoiding the Queen." Her voice was tight and controlled as I made eye contact with her.

"We needed to get on our way." I answered confidently.

"That's not what needs explaining. Why didn't you want to speak with her directly?" Her voice was becoming more clipped and tight with each passing syllable.

Everyone's eyes were now centered on me, typically I was not overly concerned with being the center of attention but in this instance I was. "This is not a conversation to have in mixed company."

"Well I need some type of answer. Just because I'm a woman doesn't meant I won't follow what you're saying or get offended by the language you use." Her eyes had taken on a perceivable chill.

"Your gender has nothing to do with why I will not explain myself at this time."

"What did you mean by mixed company then?"

"Vampire," I pointed to Destiny and then in the direction of Pam and Thalia in the conference room. "Werepanther," Jabbing my finger towards her brother, "Humans" Directing my finger towards Bobby and Jahir across the aisle, "My politics have nothing to with Jason's pack nor Bobby and Jahir's lives. But if you are willing to accompany to the back of the plane I shall explain everything to your satisfaction." Again I rose and was ready to head towards the rear of the plane.

Sookie stared at me coolly for a second longer than I am accustom to then stood without taking her eyes off of me. Stomping past me she went through the door of the conference room. Wearily I followed; Pam and Thalia were sitting at the conference table discussing varying topics.

"Who is the other Vampire on the plane Eric?" Pam asked in a low tone.

"Her name is Destiny and she is a guest from area five. We have history together." I answered continuing to walk towards the rear.

"Did you sleep with her?" Sookie has whipped around and collided with my chest in the process.

"No!" I was a bit applauded she would ask such a question.

"Then how do you have history with one another, we aren't in mixed company right now so spill your guts!" Sookie had bounced off my chest but had managed to regain her balance prior to me having to steady her.

"She is an old acquaintance; we meet through our makers when we were younger. She is older than Pam and older than Thalia by a century or two. I found great comfort with her after my maker died she was there when the Oracle gave me the where and when for my progeny." I gave Pam a brief smile and then returned my gaze to my intended. Her eyes had softened slightly but they still had a frost on them. "She is coming with us to be a witness to our bonding. I believe we discussed this earlier this evening." I firmly stated.

"So Jason is my witness?" Sookie asked a quiet tone.

"Yes, I needed a witness and since a direct blood descent cannot be a witness to a bonding I had to ask her." It seemed the need to tell the absolute truth was beginning to finally wear off. I could tell a slight lie without feeling the compulsion to let everything fall from my lips freely.

"So why couldn't Thalia be your witness?" Sookie had chosen to sit but I was not planning on continuing our discussion in this room. Gently I took her arm and pulled her into my chest.

"Thalia is a cousin. We shared the same Grandsire, both our makers hers and mine were created by the same Vampire. Jeanette Fresca was the older of the two siblings but Appius made me first and we traveled the world together for centuries before Aunt Jeannette wanted a child of her own. When we returned to Northern Italy, she wished for a daughter so we began the hunt for a child for her. That was when we found Thalia. End of Story lets go." I tried pulling her towards the next room.

"Where was she made and why was she chosen?" It was not Sookie who asked this but Pam. Sookie wiggled from my grasp and sat back down at the table. Sighing because I knew none of the ladies were going to let me slip away I began the story.

"She was in a snow storm struggling to return home. She thought she had found refuge from the storm but was mistakenly surprised when we began to feed from her." The memories flooded me a little too pronounced for my likely and I could only contribute the vivid flashbacks to Sookie's fae influence. "Auntie Jeanette had been watching the nearby village closely. There were three girls all from the same family that interested my Aunt. They were youthful, innocent and lethal. Each daughter killed animals daily without hesitation. Their father was the local butcher, in most villages butchers had sons to continue the family business. This town was different the butcher had a gaggle of daughters, there were ten of them. Thalia was the youngest and she struggled with her chores, not because they were mentally taxing but the physical demands of lifting and carrying the dead weight daily. We watched her struggle but she never complained nor did she fail at her duties. She was extraordinarily clever and that was what Aunt Jeanette wished for more than anything."

"How old was Thalia in her human years?" Sookie asked bluntly.

"She was near her 13th name day when we arrived but during the summer she celebrated her 14th name day. May I continue the story?" I directed my question to Sookie.

"Yes, sorry just curious as to how old she was." Sookie blushed a little under my gaze.

I figured since it was going to be story time for a few minutes it would not hurt to sit and make myself comfortable. "My Aunt was exceedingly cautious about our presence in the area. At night we would go great distances to hunt and return to a different cave or ground location each day. We had been in the area close to six months, an extended amount of time for that era. We had watched Thalia in the spring, brand the calves which were not commonly done then and birth the lambs without hesitation or disgust. During the summer we watched as she would wring the necks off the chickens, allowing them to run around spurting blood into the sky after their heads were removed effectively evacuation the body of the blood. In the fall we watched as she built a hoist to lift the animal for butchering, obviously she was too slight in her human form to lift the dead animal to butcher it. She circumvented the problem by creating a sling to hold the animal up after it had been killed; allowing her easy access to dissect the animal part by part."

All three women were enraptured by the story even Thalia whom I thought had been told long ago by her maker why she was chosen. Directing my voice towards the object of the story I ask, "Had not your maker ever told you the story of your creation?" Thalia shook her head and motioned for me to continue with the story. "It was late October and both Appius and I were bored with the area. We had hunted both wereanimals and humans alike. The region was too remote to continually seek food nightly and return daily we were covering vast areas in all directions. It was beginning to become too difficult finding fresh victims to drain; then it was uncommon to heal the puncture wounds and glamour the person into forgetting the hour we spent feeding. Therefore the population in the area began to decrease and become more aware of our presence. It was difficult to continually escape from the local villagers whom had become vigilant about seeking shelter prior to dusk and not inviting anyone into their homes."

"Why didn't you just glamour the people? Was it necessary to kill them?" Sookie broke my concentration again.

"It was uncommon to practice 'catch and release', there were too many complications in allowing the person to return back to their community after we feed."

"What type of complications?" Pam asked this time.

"There were times when the people would be resistant to glamouring. Like Sookie is resistant to it." Damn!

"She is?" Thalia looked at Sookie for a second, trying to pull her into a suggestive state. "Cluck like a chicken."

"I rather wouldn't if it is all the same to you Thalia." Sookie answered through her bright smile.

"Any way," I continued with the story, "Appius and I had agreed we would only stay in Italy for another two days and if Jeanette was not ready to move on by then we would leave at dusk and choose our own path. But as luck would have it, your father had sent you on an errand during the day. The snow storm took you by surprise; Aunt Jeannette had built a fire within the confines of our cave which happened to be on the route you typically walked between villages. It was a deep cave and the fire could be seen for miles; Appius hid at the back he was too fearful of fire to be near it. I was standing sentry by the opening as Jeannette looked for you. She had travelled to your home that evening only to find that you had left early in the morning and yet to returned. Jeannette seemed more upset by the news than your father and she butchered him in the front yard. Later the village would claim a large wolf had done the deed and must have taken your life in the process."

Sookie was so wrapped into the tale she was leaning towards me with her head resting in the palm of her hands, her eyes were large with wonder and excitement. "I spotted Thalia stumbling in the snow storm. Flying towards her side, I carried her to the cave. The light was a beacon of safety you told me. She could see the light from miles away and was travelling towards it. Aunt Jeannette returned shortly after your arrival, I had already sampled your blood as well as Appius. Jeannette was furious with us both; she did not want to share her child with anyone. She was terrible selfish which in the end is what killed her." I looked at Thalia who nodded a confirmation to my statement. "She drained Thalia, and Appius and I buried the pair. Three days later she rose as Vampire. End of story."

Thalia was staring into empty space lost in her own memories of the time we spent as a family, Pam looked bored and Sookie had tears slipping down her face.

"If you will excuse us we have a discussion to conduct in private, Sookie?" I stood offering my hand to her. "Let us retire to the back."

Leading her to the bedroom, I opened the door and heard her take a rush of air into her lungs. Immediately my fangs clicked into place as I shoved her behind me, I scanned the room for danger and found none.

"Oh my this is lovely!" I heard her exclaim from behind me.

Sookie had placed her hands on my hips and nudged me out of the way. Her appraisal of the room was accurate. The queen size bed took up a majority of the room almost touching both walls. The hunter green wallpaper was not my idea but a design team as well as the dark maroon carpet and the midnight black bed spread. There was simple but tasteful art work hung on three of the walls yet no windows adorn the cabin. Once the door detected natural light it would seal for the day. A safety measure I insisted on after getting trapped in a commercial airline bathroom for 12 hour duration in the 1960's.

"So Eric, why didn't you want to speak with the Queen?" Sookie was like a dog with a bone and would not let go.

"She ordered me to do something I refused to do. I believe she would have tracked me down if we stayed much longer." I hoped whatever truth fairy resided in her uterus would not magically make me reveal everything.

"What did she order you to do?" Sookie perched herself on the side of the bed.

"She ordered me to bring you to her." Damn! I did not want to reveal that part.

"What was she going to do when she had me? Turn me?" Sookie was tense ready to spring.

"Yes, she wanted to turn you. Hence the reason I wanted to bond with you." Double Damn!

"Was that the only reason you wanted to bond with me?" The ice had been replaced by fire in her eyes.

"No I deeply care for you and want no one to take you from me. That includes, your grandfather, brother, my queen and the tiger. They cannot have you." I nearly shouted at her.

"Careful Eric, you sound pretty selfish yourself. You don't want to die in the same fashion you Aunt did. How did she die anyway?" Sookie was smiling at me; she knew the fae child was making me tell the truth.

"She wanted the counsel to remove the band from creating Vampire children younger than 15 years old. There was a young man she wished to turn and was bound to have him. He was large for his age and only 13 years old." I answered evasively as possible.

"Eww. She sounds like a child molester. Did the counsel change their minds?" She relaxed and began to shift her weight around on the bed.

"No they did not." I unbuttoned the first few buttons on my shirt. I was hoping she wanted to make love again. I missed her.

"So how did she die?" She asked resting on her elbows.

"She was beheaded after she made the man child." I answered blankly.

"Who did it?"

"Did what?"

"The beheading."

"Appuis was forced to do it. I watched, so did Thalia and the man child."

"Oh." I was resting my back against the door of the cabin. It was a painful memory, Jeannette had her faults like any other being but basically she was a good woman. She had been my mother for close to six hundred years prior to having Thalia join us. It was only a few centuries ago that I lost her. Thalia was relatively young and was not able to cope with the sudden appearance of a new sibling and take care of herself. Appius and I were forced to take on the man child for his own protection. Thalia tried repeatedly to kill him but as a family we had to behave decently to one another for the counsels sake.

"So the Queen wants me." Sookie was lying flat on her back staring at the ceiling talking to me I presumed.

"Yes, it is quite evident she would like you to become her progeny. She thought your fae blood would heal her mind but I have my doubts. Plus I want to keep you."

"I want to keep you too." Sookie grabbed my hand and pulled me to the bed. "I want to make love again."

Her hand had found its way inside of my shirt. The light touch of her fingers rubbing the fine hair on my chest caused the memories of pain and family to fade. I had a new family staring me right in the eyes. There was a question hidden in the depths of her eyes.

"Who was the man child?"

"Clancy."


End file.
